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"Science fiction is what scientists would do if they could - if they had enough grant money, enough time, and enough brains to do the wonderful things they would like to do."
- Greg Bear
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| Space Weakness | ||
| Early description of what happens to the human body in zero gravity. |
This is an early description of the loss of muscle mass that takes place over time in zero gravity.
| "I guess so," said Joe. He added ruefully, "It hurts to nod, and I think
it would hurt worse to shake my head. What's the matter with me, Mike? I didn't get banged up in the landing!"
"You got banged up before you landed," said Mike. "Worse than that, you spent better than six weeks out of gravity, where in an average day you took less actual exercise than a guy in bed with two broken legs!" Joe eased himself back into his chair. He felt about 600 years old. Somebody poked a head into view and withdrew it. Joe lifted his arm and regarded it. "Weighty! I guess you're right, Mike." "I know I'm right!" said Mike. "If you spent six weeks in bed you'd expect to feel wobbly when you tried to walk. Up on the Platform you didn't even use energy to stand up! We didn't realize it, but we were living like invalids! We'll get our strength back, but next time we'll take measures. Huh! Take a trip to Mars in free fall, and by the time a guy got there his muscles'd be so flabby he couldn't stand up in half-gravity! Something's got to be done about that, Joe!" Joe said somberly, "Something's got to be done about space ships before that comes up again!" |
| Technovelgy from Space Tug,
by Murray Leinster. Published by Belmont in 1953 Additional resources -
|
Can anyone think of an earlier reference?
Compare to space sick from Ralph 124c 41 + (1911) by Hugo Gernsback; see also the description of a medical exoskeleton for people raised in microgravity from A Specter is Haunting Texas (1968) by Fritz Leiber.
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'You couldn't have the capstone without the pyramid to hold it up.'
'the unobtrusive inspections with tiny remote-cast snoopers...'
I'm hoping that this procedure becomes a normal part of medical practice!
'... nothing was perfected until M. Pantalon announced the completion of his automatic valet.'
'...its streets were of remarkable width, with few or no buildings so high as mosques, churches, State-offices, or palaces in Tellurian cities.'
'...it was all composed of tiny, identical cubes, carefully laid to form a tilelike surface.'
