Long Shot (Niven)
Encyclopedia
Long Shot is the name of a fictional spacecraft from the Known Space
universe. It first appeared in the short story "At the Core
" by Larry Niven
, and played pivotal roles in several of his Ringworld
novels.
The Long Shot was named by its first pilot, Beowulf Shaeffer
, both because it could cover long distances and because he was unconvinced that it would actually work. The vessel is built inside a #4 General Products
hull, a thousand-foot sphere of clear, near-invulnerable material. The interior of the ship is mostly taken up by the experimental "Quantum II" hyperdrive
, which was invented by the Pierson's Puppeteers, an advanced but cowardly alien race. Unwilling to risk one of their own, they instead hired a human pilot to test the vessel. The Quantum II drive travels a light-year
in one and a quarter minutes, as opposed to the standard hyperdrive used throughout Known Space and by every known alien race, which travels a light-year in three and a half days.
The Puppeteers planned the first flight as a publicity stunt; send a man to the galactic core, then sell the story rights. But when he got there, Shaeffer found that a chain-reaction of supernova
s in the core's densely-packed stars had sent out a wave of radiation
which would reach Known Space in 20,000 years; the Puppeteers, fearing faster-than-light travel, left Known Space immediately, apparently to escape the explosion. Leaving behind only a handful of their insane (because only a mad Puppeteer will subject himself to the risks of space travel and interaction with aliens), they packed up their homeworlds
and fled; at relativistic
speeds, because hyperspace is dangerous. Later it is deduced by Beowulf Shaeffer
that the Puppeteers have a way to protect themselves from radiation and are actually travelling to the purged Core, free of other alien life and therefore the safest place in the Galaxy.
Later the Puppeteer Fleet of Worlds
discovered something in their path: a Ringworld, with room on it for their entire race and then some, and if they could get it moving it would make a perfect escape vehicle from their (slowly) dying galaxy. Once again, they hire some adventurous aliens/humans and Kzin
to take their risks for them. The Long Shot was to be their payment. It was also used to transport this motley crew, in stasis, to the Fleet of Worlds.
After the events of the first Ringworld
novel, the Long Shot was turned over to the governments of Earth and Kzin to be reverse-engineered, in hopes that someday it could be not only copied, but improved upon to the point where it would make a viable engine for passenger shipping and transport; after all, that wave of radiation was still on its way from the galactic core. Mankind would need to find a new galaxy someday. During the events of Ringworld's Children
, however, it is revealed that the Kzinti government had illegally armed the Long Shot and brought it into a war zone, thus jeopardizing the single most valuable asset in Known Space.
Eventually Louis Wu
, who was in Protector
form at the time, captured the Long Shot, returned himself to human using a nanotechnology
healing device, and took the ship to the planet called Home.
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
universe. It first appeared in the short story "At the Core
At the Core (story)
"At the Core" is an English language science fiction short story written in 1966 by Larry Niven. It is the second in the series of Known Space stories featuring crashlander Beowulf Shaeffer...
" by Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
, and played pivotal roles in several of his Ringworld
Ringworld
Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
novels.
The Long Shot was named by its first pilot, Beowulf Shaeffer
Beowulf Shaeffer
Beowulf Shaeffer is a fictional character from Larry Niven’s Known Space series. Shaeffer is a crashlander, a native of We Made It, a planet circling the star Procyon...
, both because it could cover long distances and because he was unconvinced that it would actually work. The vessel is built inside a #4 General Products
General Products (Larry Niven)
In Larry Niven's fictional Known Space universe, General Products is a Pierson's Puppeteers company which produces various spacecraft components.-General Products hull:...
hull, a thousand-foot sphere of clear, near-invulnerable material. The interior of the ship is mostly taken up by the experimental "Quantum II" hyperdrive
Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive is a name given to certain methods of traveling faster-than-light in science fiction. Related concepts are jump drive and warp drive....
, which was invented by the Pierson's Puppeteers, an advanced but cowardly alien race. Unwilling to risk one of their own, they instead hired a human pilot to test the vessel. The Quantum II drive travels a light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
in one and a quarter minutes, as opposed to the standard hyperdrive used throughout Known Space and by every known alien race, which travels a light-year in three and a half days.
The Puppeteers planned the first flight as a publicity stunt; send a man to the galactic core, then sell the story rights. But when he got there, Shaeffer found that a chain-reaction of supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
s in the core's densely-packed stars had sent out a wave of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
which would reach Known Space in 20,000 years; the Puppeteers, fearing faster-than-light travel, left Known Space immediately, apparently to escape the explosion. Leaving behind only a handful of their insane (because only a mad Puppeteer will subject himself to the risks of space travel and interaction with aliens), they packed up their homeworlds
Fleet of Worlds
Fleet of Worlds are both a location and a book in Larry Niven's Known Space series.The series consisting of this book and its sequels is referred to by the same title.-Novel:The novel, co-written by Niven and Edward M. Lerner, was released in 2007...
and fled; at relativistic
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
speeds, because hyperspace is dangerous. Later it is deduced by Beowulf Shaeffer
Beowulf Shaeffer
Beowulf Shaeffer is a fictional character from Larry Niven’s Known Space series. Shaeffer is a crashlander, a native of We Made It, a planet circling the star Procyon...
that the Puppeteers have a way to protect themselves from radiation and are actually travelling to the purged Core, free of other alien life and therefore the safest place in the Galaxy.
Later the Puppeteer Fleet of Worlds
Fleet of Worlds
Fleet of Worlds are both a location and a book in Larry Niven's Known Space series.The series consisting of this book and its sequels is referred to by the same title.-Novel:The novel, co-written by Niven and Edward M. Lerner, was released in 2007...
discovered something in their path: a Ringworld, with room on it for their entire race and then some, and if they could get it moving it would make a perfect escape vehicle from their (slowly) dying galaxy. Once again, they hire some adventurous aliens/humans and Kzin
Kzin
The Kzinti are a fictional, very warlike and bloodthirsty race of cat-like aliens in Larry Niven's Known Space series....
to take their risks for them. The Long Shot was to be their payment. It was also used to transport this motley crew, in stasis, to the Fleet of Worlds.
After the events of the first Ringworld
Ringworld
Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
novel, the Long Shot was turned over to the governments of Earth and Kzin to be reverse-engineered, in hopes that someday it could be not only copied, but improved upon to the point where it would make a viable engine for passenger shipping and transport; after all, that wave of radiation was still on its way from the galactic core. Mankind would need to find a new galaxy someday. During the events of Ringworld's Children
Ringworld's Children
Ringworld's Children is a 2004 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, the fourth in the Ringworld series set in the Known Space universe. It describes the continuing adventures of Louis Wu and companions on Ringworld.-Plot summary:...
, however, it is revealed that the Kzinti government had illegally armed the Long Shot and brought it into a war zone, thus jeopardizing the single most valuable asset in Known Space.
Eventually Louis Wu
Louis Wu
Louis Gridley Wu, a fictional character, is the main protagonist in the Ringworld series of books, written by Larry Niven.Louis Wu was born in 2650 to Carlos Wu and Sharrol Janss. When he appears in Ringworld, Louis is 6'2" tall...
, who was in Protector
Pak Protector
Pak Breeders and Pak Protectors are two forms of fictional life in Larry Niven's Known Space universe. The Pak first appeared in "The Adults," which appeared in Galaxy in 1967; this story was expanded into the novel Protector by Larry Niven...
form at the time, captured the Long Shot, returned himself to human using a nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
healing device, and took the ship to the planet called Home.