Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"I kind of take it for granted that our great-grandchildren will regard us as a sort of precursor species. That they won't think of us as human and if we could see them, we probably wouldn't think of them as human either."
- William Gibson
 |
| Space Raft | ||
| A kind of escape craft, or lifeboat. |
| "Why can’t we just get in our ship and go home to Earth?” she asked, as they turned back to the entrance.
“Our flier isn’t strong enough — it’s just meant to be a sort of interstellar lifeboat, a kind of space-raft to hold survivors of a wrecked ship until help comes,” he explained. “I thought you knew that.” “But why don’t they build them so that they can really travel through space?” she asked. “Think of the size they’d be, and the number of them on every liner,” he replied. “There wouldn’t be enough room. The liners are so big now that it’s a wonder they ever get off the Earth—” |
| Technovelgy from Dusk on the Moon,
by Hannes Bok. Published by Future Fantasy Science Fiction in 1943 Additional resources -
|
The same phrase is used in Super Whost (1947), a whimsical story by Margaret St. Clair:
Oona hadn’t really cared for it. They were up high enough, to see the curvature of the earth, and it had been interesting to look down and watch the weather happening below, but the raft had been under a dome, of course, and something in the set-up had made Oona dizzy whenever she thought of it. She was sure it wasn’t the same thing, not at all the same, as being on another planet.
Compare to the deceleration chambers from The Storm (1943) by AE van Vogt, the escapecraft from The Ethical Equations (1945) by Murray Leinster, the space dory from Asteroid Justice (1947) by VE Thiessen, the
emergency space-boat from Revolt of the Star Men (1932) by Raymond Z. Gallun, the survival bubble from Footfall (1985) by Niven & Pournelle, life tubes from Liners of Space (1930) by Jim Vanny, the life ship from The Invisible World by Ed Earl Repp, the emergency lifeboats from Triplanetary (1934) by 'Doc' Smith and the escape pod from Star Wars (1976) by George Lucas.
Oona shut the stereo off. She wasn’t interested in any prizes below the first two. A trip to Mars! Neither she nor Jick had ever been out of the earth’s atmosphere, except once when Space Ports Inc., had entertained their employees with an all-day fourth-of-July picnic on one of the Space Rafts.
('Super Whost' by Margaret St. Clair)
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Dusk on the Moon
More Ideas
and Technology by Hannes Bok
Tech news articles related to Dusk on the Moon
Tech news articles related to works by Hannes Bok
| The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds |
| Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again? |
| Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution |
| Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'
'He wore spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.'
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
