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
"it slowly dawned on me that the landscape of science is maybe what interests people a great deal in science fiction."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Suspension Room | ||
| A kind of prison cell; the prisoners were placed in suspended animation. |
Unique use of the technology of suspended animation.
| “But you didn’t quite get it, did you?” returned Heath sarcastically.
Assuming a more threatening tone, he continued. "Now get this. Baker, and get it the first time: any more of your trouble making, and in the ‘suspension’ room you go!” Baker started visibly. No suspended animation for him! What if he never woke up? Half-dead for the rest of eternity! ...The “suspension room”! That’s what that sickly sweet smell was, the gas that the subject was forced to breathe while the temperature of the room was slowly dropped to absolute zero, preserving the gas-saturated blood corpuscles of the body — suspended animation. Rarely used except in extreme cases, the suspension room removed unruly members of the crew from life temporarily so that they neither used up precious oxygen nor the limited food rations. |
| Technovelgy from Crossroads of Space,
by A.G. Stangland. Published by Wonder Stories in 1932 Additional resources -
|
Here's what it was like, after a mutiny!
“You don’t seem to appreciate what I’m doing for you, man,” Baker continued ironically, “you won’t have to consider oxygen or food from now on. This foul air is bad enough now as it is. And then if someone finds this ‘Pan’ drifting around a couple of centuries from now you’ll still be alive.” He was busying himself about the valves of the mixing tank preparing the gas.
Heath tried to raise his head. Then his arms and legs. He was securely bound to the table. A groan sounded behind him. Rawlins voice. Of course, they would have him in here, too. He thought furiously in his helpless position. Suspended animation! Conscious sensations would recede from him. There would be no feeling of cold or warmth. But his mind would be aware of things around him. His eyes would see with a sort of helpless abstraction. It would be a living hell! Death would be more merciful. Suddenly, a hissing broke into his confusion of thoughts, a swift hissing that carried with it an insidious sweetness. It was getting colder too. The preserving process was beginning !
“Sweet dreams, Captain!” suggested Baker, backing out of the gasketed door.
Heath felt a horrible nausea at the pit of his stomach after a few thin wisps of the saccharized gas were drawn into his lungs. He struggled with his bonds, pulling and straining with a desperate fury. Damnation! His brain was blazing with the gas-saturated blood surging through it.
Compare to moratorium from Philip K. Dick's 1969 novel Ubik, personality death from Harry Harrison's 1959 short story Robot Justice, zero-time jail from A World Out of Time (1976) by Larry Niven, Brainlock from Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988) by William Gibson and virtual punishment from Complete Sentence (2011) by Joe Haldeman.
“You traitorous devil! It was a damned mistake I didn’t sentence you to ‘suspension’ while I was at it.”
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Crossroads of Space
More Ideas
and Technology by A.G. Stangland
Tech news articles related to Crossroads of Space
Tech news articles related to works by A.G. Stangland
| The United States Space Academy Is Official |
| Beautiful Visualization of Dawn Spacecraft |
| Tumblin' Tumbleweed Rovers To Eplore Mars |
| Tentacled Robot Captures Space Debris |
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
'After twenty generations of shillyshallying...'
'Our planes are going to start bringing in bales of discarded plastics...'
'... completely forgetting the ship at sight of the awesome figure and great head of the giant Gaut...'
'So, Ender, we will now begin your education.'
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!'
'Forget the head atop it, the legs below, feet, arms, hands. It compels erasure.'
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair or to perch on a flagpole in imitation of a giant bird, even in the windy city of Chicago.'
