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 think a lot of kids whose mental growth outruns their maturity gravitate to science fiction."
- Dan Simmons
 |
| Geodynes | ||
| Spacecraft propulsion that pushes against the very fabric of space itself. |
This is not a faster-than-light technology; the spacecraft are described as moving around in the solar system.
| The Invincible was now driving outward from the sun, away from yellow-red Mars and the greenish fleck of Phobos. Her humming geodynes - electromagnetic geodesic deflectors, in the language of the engineers - acted to deflect every atom of ship, load, and crew very slightly from the coordinates of the familiar continuum of the four dimensions, so the the vessel was driven around space-time, rather than through it, by a direct reaction against the warp of space itself. |
| From The Cometeers,
by Jack Williamson. Published by Street and Smith in 1936 Additional resources -
|
This early discussion of a spacecraft propulsion system has me wondering. When we talk about a "space warp" I've always thought that referred to "warp" in the sense of bending or twisting to a new shape.
However, I'm now curious if it started as a reference that builds on the "fabric of space" metaphor. In this context, the "warp of space" refers to the structure of space; in fabric-maker lingo, the "warp" of a fabric is a set of threads that run lengthwise. The "woof" (or sometimes "weft") of a fabric is the set of threads that run crosswise to the warp.
I don't need to ask about the "woof" of space-time; that, of course, belongs to Chewbacca ;)
Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Cometeers
More Ideas
and Technology by Jack Williamson
Tech news articles related to The Cometeers
Tech news articles related to works by Jack Williamson
| Elon Musk Tweets Versions Of Clarke's Operation Cleanup |
| Espresso Telescope Searches For Exoplanets |
| Manned Maneuvering Unit From 1984 |
| Astronaut Gets Younger In Space |
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 Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'Our ancestors... thought to make the very sand beneath their feet intelligent...'
'A mimetic poly-alloy... 'What the hell does that mean?''
'Now I will tell you how Octavia, the spider-web city, is made.'
'Fortunately, the old orbital forts were superbly equipped for this task.'
