The wellsprings of space by Albert Teichner

"The Wellsprings of Space" by Albert Teichner is a science fiction story written in the early 1960s. The narrative explores the concept of continuous matter creation in space and its implications for space travel, particularly how it might alleviate the challenges faced by spacecraft operating far from their solar origin. The story positions itself within the broader reality of humanity's quest to overcome the limitations of the solar system, delving into themes of scientific discovery and the interplay between knowledge and existence. The plot follows the aging scientist Old Huddleston, who, despite being in his final years, is visited by a trio of younger scientists—Lowen, Crane, and Fitzhugh. They present him with groundbreaking news regarding the Lowen-Crane-and-Fitzhugh Hypothesis, which proposes that matter is continuously created at specific points in the universe, alleviating the problem of electron leakage that has hindered space travel. As they embark on a mission aboard the ship "New Cosmos" to test their theory, a shocking realization dawns on them: while they do replenish their vessel with matter, they unwittingly pay the price with their own lifespan. Ultimately, the journey reveals a haunting truth about time and existence, leaving the crew changed irrevocably and humorously obsessed with trivial pursuits like collecting old bottles—symbolic of the time they have lost. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Teichner, Albert
Illustrator Adkins, Dan, 1937-2013
Title The wellsprings of space
Original Publication New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1961.
Series Title Produced from Amazing Stories October 1961.
Credits Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Reading Level Reading ease score: 75.4 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Subject Scientists -- Fiction
Subject Interstellar travel -- Fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 73226
Release Date
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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