The Year's Greatest Science Fiction & Fantasy 4

From Science Fiction to Science Fact: The Universe and Us

Last year’s edition of SF devoted a special section to non-fiction coverage of the beginnings of space flight. The innovation was so well received (I mean the section, though its subject is also doing pretty well) that it has been made a permanent feature of the anthology.

Space flight as such is now almost out of the range of fantasy or science fiction, but the adjustments to it, the challenge of new technology to human habits, the unknown potentials—for satisfaction, fear, delight—of the unguessed-at environments men will face beyond earth; this is the stuff that science fantasy is made of.

The present attainments and near-future promises of physical science leave little scope for speculative thought. It used to be a joke: “The difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a little longer.” Now, I do not think any conception of the most imaginative mind, within the realm of physical science, could pose a problem that would cause the appropriate expert to answer, “No one knows” or “Never!” . . . just “I don’t know, quite yet.”

The great frontiers of the unknown now lie at man’s own door. The urgent questions now are not “What is it?” or “How does it work?” or “How do we make it?”

Rather, we are asking, “Who are we?” and “What are we doing here?” . . .”Where are we going?” and “Why?” and “How will we make out when we get there?”

These are the themes of the best new science fantasy and also the working problems of the new generation of scientists. The first set of answers will derive, it seems, from studies now being made of man’s chances for surviving out in space.