![](../graphics/MCSpacerLeft.gif) |
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
|
![](../graphics/MCSpacerNearLeft.gif) |
Testing The Single-Person Spacecraft
It looks like the Genesis Engineering Solutions single-person spacecraft is coming right along; it passed several important pressure tests last month. Technovelgy readers may recall reading about it a couple of years ago; see Cool 'Single-Person Spaceships' Have Better SF Name.
The spacecraft concept from Maryland-based Genesis Engineering Solutions is just big enough for one person; an astronaut would float inside the spacecraft for several hours and use robotic arms to manipulate equipment. Propulsive thrusters would allow the spacecraft to nestle close to a target, similar to NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit jetpack that was briefly tested on astronaut spacesuits in the 1980s.
Instead of using a bulky spacesuit to do repairs on NASA's future Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway space station, for example, the Genesis spacecraft operator could use the robotic arms while remaining in relative comfort inside of an enclosed cockpit.
![](../graphics/content12/single-person-spacecraft.jpg)
Arthur C. Clarke would have been excited, I'm sure, to see his cylinder space suit from his 1952 novel Islands in the Sky come into being:
...the lower part of the suit was simply
a rigid cylinder. When I climbed inside it, I found that
I could use my feet only to work some control pedals,
which I was careful not to touch. There was a little
seat, and a transparent dome covering the top of the
cylinder gave me good visibility.
![](../graphics/content12/islands-sky-space-suit-clarke.jpg)
(Islands in the Sky)
I could use my hands
and arms. Just below my chin there was a neat little
control panel with a tiny keyboard and a few meters.
If I wanted to handle anything outside, there were
flexible sleeves through which I could push my arms.
They ended in gloves which, although they seemed
clumsy, enabled one to carry out quite delicate operations.
(Read more about Arthur C. Clarke's cylinder space suit)
True science fiction fans will also want to check out the the Osprey space armor from Salvage in Space (1933) by Jack Williamson, as well as Larry Niven's singleship from Death by Ecstasy (1969) and just for fun the space bubbles from The Planet Strappers (1961) by Raymond Z. Gallun.
Thanks to Winchell Chung's (aka @nyrath) of
Project Rho.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/2/2018)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.
| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories -
("
Space Ship
")
Testing The Single-Person Spacecraft
'...the lower part of the suit was simply a rigid cylinder.' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1952.
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.
|
![](../graphics/MCSpacerNearRight.gif) |
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Biohybrid Robots Made Of Living And Synthetic Materials
'If the biological robots were not living creatures, they were certainly very good imitations.'
Drug Induces Hibernation-Like State In Humans
'... drugged and chilled and stowed in sleep tanks.'
Poul Anderson's 'Brain Wave'
"Everybody and his dog, it seemed, wanted to live out in the country; transportation and communication were no longer isolating factors."
AI Note-Taking From Google Meet
'... the new typewriter that could be talked to, and which transposed the spoken sound into typed words.'
Qore IcePlates Are Personal Cooling Suits
'... underneath they consisted of networks of cooling tubes against the skin.'
P1 Just The Latest Robot To Take A Beating From Humans
'...we mere people come second.'
Waymo Cars Shout At Each Other, Autonomously
'My cars talk to one another. I have no doubt about it...'
Your Solar Electric Paint Is Ready, Larry Niven
'...you spray it on.'
How Long Till We Have These Tattoos?
Truth or fiction?
Seeing Faces On Grains Of Sand (AI Pareidolia)
'... the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell.'
Lunar Biorepository Proposed For Cryo-Preservation Of Earth Species
'...there was no one alive who had ever seen them. But they existed in the Life Bank.'
Tele-Driving Offers Jobs For Tele-Drivers, Not AIs
''...some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre...'
Autonomous Robotic Dentist - Would You Say 'Ahhh'?
You might be surprised at how much more efficient this could be.
GM Scraps Cruise Origin Robotaxi With No Steering Wheel
'Ames tinkered around with something on the instrument board when he got in; and in a few moments we were off.'
Taza Aya Air-Curtain Tech Protects Turkey Workers
'I'm going to have to buy a filter-mask.'
Torobo Humanoid Robot Hammers A Nail
7-axis dual arms, 3-axis waist (pitch, pitch, yaw), 3-axis neck (yaw, pitch, roll), and 4-axis undercarriage!
More SF in the News Stories
More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories
|
![](../graphics/MCSpacerFarRight.gif) |