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"[Science fiction] has become big business, where books are merchandised and promoted and distributed and placed on sale like slabs of bacon or cans of soup."
- Frederik Pohl
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| Tiny Atomic-Power Drive Unit | ||
| A very small power generator that is atomic powered. |
In the future, those tiny atomic-power units will be everywhere... Well, maybe not. But in this story, you can at least read about them.
The atomic-power drive units were used to provide power for a special kind of space suit used on planets with gravity greater than that of the earth.
| Presently he was deeply engrossed in the delicate task of readjusting the tiny atomic-power drive units he had fixed in the space suits...
Slowly he turned up the lift-control at his belt. A slow creaking of straps and an unhappy wriggling on [his] part attested to the increasing power of the atomic drive mounted on his suit... "I can't even stand up without the aid of this thing. Let's go." |
| From The Brain Pirates,
by John W. Campbell. Published by Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1938 Additional resources -
|
In the early 1960's, I read books like "Our Friend the Atom" that insisted that atomic power would be used in cars and small planes.
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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.
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