Last calendar week it came to our attention that the musical phrase “ smash off ” was coin — not in a strictly scientific context , but a science fabricated one — by E. E. Smith , an early science fabrication writer often cite to as “ the father of infinite opera . ” The condition appeared in Smith ’s 1937 story Galactic Patrol , when one character inquires of another , “ How long do you figure it ’ll be before it ’s safe for us to blast off ? ”
And it turns out blast off is n’t the only scientific Logos or idiom with science fictional blood line ; here is a listing of nine more , originally composed by Jeff Prucher — editor program for theOxford English Dictionary ’s Science Fiction Projectand author of the Hugo Award — winningBrave New word : The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction — for theOxford University Press Blog .
9 . Robotics
This is probably the most well - eff of these , since Isaac Asimov [ for those poor souls who have never gazed upon Asimov ’s awe - inspiring burnside , that ’s him pictured up top ] is far-famed for ( among many other things ) his three laws of robotics . Even so , I include it because it is one of the only actual sciences to have been first named in a scientific discipline fiction history ( “ Liar ! “ , 1941 ) . Asimov also named the related military control ( roboticist ) and the procedural robotic .
8 . transmissible engineering
7 . Zero - gravity / zero - g
A define feature of life in forbidden blank ( sans artificial gravity , of course ) . The first bed use of “ zero - gravitational force ” is from Jack Binder ( best known for his work as an creative person ) in 1938 , and actually refers to the gravityless State Department of the center of the Earth ’s centre . Arthur C. Clarke gave us “ zero - g ” in his 1952 novelIslands in the Sky .
6 . Deep space
One of the other defining feature of knocked out place is its essential vanity . In science fabrication , this set phrase most commonly refers to a realm of empty blank between stars or that is remote from the home existence . E. E. “ Doc ” Smith seems to have mint this set phrase in 1934 . The more common economic consumption in the sciences refers to the region of distance outside of the Earth ’s atmosphere .
5 . Ion drive
An ion thrust is a type of starship engine that creates actuation by emitting charged subatomic particle in the focusing face-to-face of the one you want to travel . The earliest reference in Brave New Words is again from Jack Williamson ( “ The Equalizer ” , 1947 ) . A number of spacecraft have used this technology , get in the seventies .
4 . Pressure suit
A suit that maintains a unchanging pressure around its occupant ; utilitarian in both distance geographic expedition and gamy - altitude flights . This is another one from the fertile mind of E. E. Smith . Curiously , his imperativeness suits were furred , an innovation not , alas , replicated by NASA .
3 . Virus
Computer computer virus , that is . Dave Gerrold ( of “ The Trouble With Tribbles ” fame ) was manifestly the first to make the verbal doctrine of analogy between biological viruses and ego - replicating electronic computer course of study , in his 1972 level “ When Harlie Was One . ”
2 . insect
Another case of ego - reduplicate computer program . So named by John Brunner in his 1975 novelShockwave Rider .
1 . Gas monster
A large planet , like Jupiter or Neptune , that is composed largely of gaseous cloth . The first known use of this terminus is from a story ( “ Solar Plexus ” ) by James Blish ; the odd matter about it is that it was first used in a reprint of the story , eleven years after the story was first published . Whether this is because Blish conceived of the full term in the intervening years or read it somewhere else , or whether it was in the original manuscript and got edit out is impossible to say at this point .
prototype Credits
Asimovvia ; Asimov Robotvia
Genetic engineering image via GeK / Shutterstock
Trek Ion Drivevia
Neptune viaNASA ’s Marshall Space Flight Center
DEEP SPACERoboticsSci - FiScienceWorm
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