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 store information differently, reading a science fiction story, to make it make sense."
- Samuel R. Delany

Venus Cities Float In Atmosphere  
  Cloud cities on Venus.  

This is an early reference to the idea that Venus, the surface of which could not reasonably support human life, could be colonized with "cloud cities".

In the story, baking loaves of bread using helium to help it rise has resulted in millions of loaves taking flight.

Radio Venus reported to its winged audience that Earth's inhabitants were establishing food depots in the upper air, preparatory to taking up permanent aerial residence "such as we have always enjoyed on Venus."
Technovelgy from Bread Overhead!, by Fritz Leiber.
Published by Galaxy Science Fiction in 1958
Additional resources -

I'm not sure how long the idea of building cloud cities on Venus has been around. Scientist and sf author Geoffrey Landis suggested the idea in 2008. See the stories below for more details.

The Hawkmen in Flash Gordon had a city that floated in the sky, as well, in the 1930's.

The floating island in the sky idea is historically old; see the entry for laputa in Gulliver's Travels (1726).

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Bread Overhead!
  More Ideas and Technology by Fritz Leiber
  Tech news articles related to Bread Overhead!
  Tech news articles related to works by Fritz Leiber

Venus Cities Float In Atmosphere-related news articles:
  - Cloud City On Venus?
  - Revisiting A Cloud City On Venus
  - HAVOC Over Venus ala Bespin

Articles related to Space Tech
Tumblin' Tumbleweed Rovers To Eplore Mars
Tentacled Robot Captures Space Debris
Reflect Orbital Sunlight On Demand
Elon Musk Wants Data Centers 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>

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

 

 

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

Science Fiction in the News

NEO Brain Computer Interface (BCI)
'The remains of the lace took on the rough shape of a brain...'

Did Frank Herbert Predict E-Ink Displays?
'A broken circle with arrows pointing to a right-hand flow appeared in the chalf.'

Monolith One Giant Industrial Metal 3D-printer
'The object seemed melted together like wax — nothing was distinguishable.'

'Mooncrete' Lunar Regolith Concrete (LRC)
'And here they began to build...'

China's 'Magpie Drone' Ornithopter
'Midges have many capabilities. To the untrained eye, they look like sparrows.'

MAI-Voice-2 Microsoft Text-To-Speech
'I made disks of my own voice to the number of five hundred very carefully chosen words.'

Tumblin' Tumbleweed Rovers To Eplore Mars
'His sensors out and working, and the whirring of the tape that sucked up sight and sound and shape and smell and form...'

Tentacled Robot Captures Space Debris
Preventing annoying space debris build-up.

Prufrock-MB2 Ready In Nashville
'It sounds to me as though you had invented a kind of metal earthworm.'

DIY Robotic Content Farming
'The chief wheeled to the master machine and pressed a button.'

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

Home | Glossary | Science Fiction Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.