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 share the view of Pythagoras that the world is number. The ultimate substrate of the universe is math. There's no way to test that - it's pure metaphysical speculation."
- Bart Kosko
 |
| Osprey Space Armor | ||
| Space suit you can live in. |
Very early description of having a space suit that almost substitutes for a space ship. Look through the other items from this story, particularly the asteroid rocket to see the slapdash style of the earliest "belters"!
| His "planet" was the smallest in the solar system, and the loneliest,
Thad Allen was thinking, as he straightened wearily in the huge,
bulging, inflated fabric of his Osprey space armor. Walking awkwardly
in the magnetic boots that held him to the black mass of meteoric
iron, he mounted a projection and stood motionless, staring moodily
away through the vision panels of his bulky helmet into the dark
mystery of the void...
He drew his right arm out of the bulging sleeve of the suit, into its ample interior, found a cigarette in an inside pocket, and lighted it. The smoke swirled about in the helmet, drawn swiftly into the air filters. "Darn clever, these suits," he murmured. "Food, smokes, water generator, all where you can reach them. And darned expensive, too. I'd better be looking for pay metal!"
 (Osprey Space Armor from 'Salvage in Space') |
| Technovelgy from Salvage in Space,
by Jack Williamson. Published by Astounding Stories in 1933 Additional resources -
|
Here's a bit more detail:
Be sure to read the entry for rocket motor from this same story to understand the minimalist "space ship" that Williamson envisions for his hero.
Fans of Larry Niven remember the belter world from At the Bottom of a Hole (1966) by Larry Niven.
Compare to the early reference to the phrase space suit from The Emperor of the Stars (1931) by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat). Also the pneumatic suit from The Shot Into Infinity (1929) by Otto Willi Gail. Also in Edison's Conquest of Mars, an 1898 novel by Garrett P. Serviss; see this article on air-tight dress. Also, see the somewhat less formal space overalls from Lost Rocket, a short story by Manly Wade Wellman.
Also, compare to vacuum armor from Skylark Three (1930) by Doc Smith,
space-armor from Revolt of the Star Men (1932) by Raymond Z Gallun,
Dirigible Space Armor (Working Space Suits) from Collision Orbit (1941) by Jack Williamson, and
space armor from Cities in Flight (1957) by James Blish.
He still wore his Osprey-suit. The
heavy fabric, made of metal wires impregnated with a tough, elastic
composition...
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Salvage in Space
More Ideas
and Technology by Jack Williamson
Tech news articles related to Salvage in Space
Tech news articles related to works by Jack Williamson
Osprey Space Armor-related
news articles:
- The Space Suit As Personal Spaceship
- A Space Ship On My Back
| Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again? |
| Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution |
| Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri |
| The First Space Warship For Space Force |
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
'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
