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
"We follow the scientists around and look over their shoulders."
- Larry Niven
 |
| Factory in the Sky | ||
| A vast manufacturing facility in space, between Mars and Jupiter. |
Situated where the riches of the solar system swirled in orbit around the sun, the Factory in the Sky made what everyone needed.
| The vast spinning sphere of Factory in the Sky loomed above and ahead of us, gleaming white against the unfathomable jet depths of surrounding space. About the thirty-odd miles of The Factory’s circumference, anchored securely to its vast metallic skin, were spaced a score or more smaller half-spheres where experimental, executive, production, personnal [sic], advertising and various other departments had their headquarters.
 ('Factory in the Sky' by Basil E. Wells) Here on the rim of the clustering asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter were the mammoth shuttle ships—luxurious globe ships for passengers—the swift cruisers of the Patrol, and the grubby little ships of the asteroid prospectors and freighters constructed, serviced and repaired at Factory in the Sky. Twenty million men, women and children lived here in the airless void, dependent for their living upon the continued construction of new and better space ships. Less than half a million of the workers were employed in the construction of the great ships; the balance worked on the hothouse worlds where vegetables, fruit and animals were grown, or in the three outer levels of The Factory where a thousand small factories leased space and produced their own specialized products. |
| Technovelgy from Factory in the Sky,
by Basil E. Wells. Published by Astonishing Stories in 1941 Additional resources -
|
Compare to orbiting factories from The Fountains of Paradise (1978) by Arthur C. Clarke.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Factory in the Sky
More Ideas
and Technology by Basil E. Wells
Tech news articles related to Factory in the Sky
Tech news articles related to works by Basil E. Wells
| Monolith One Giant Industrial Metal 3D-printer |
| DARPA Wants 'Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures' |
| Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer? |
| Organic Non-Planar 3D Printing |
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
'Once in the very first weeks of the war, before everyone had been evacuated from the surface...'
'For a while your colonists will have to come up to the [orbital] Hospital...'
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'
'Henry... assumed the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits.'
'The king, an old hand in the running of tyrannies, instantly grasped the directions...'
'...a hemispherical force field enclosing his head.'
