Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon
Encyclopedia
"Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon" is a science fiction
short story
written by Robert A. Heinlein
and published in April and May 1949 in Boys' Life
, a magazine of the Boy Scouts of America
, who jointly hold copyright with Heinlein, dated 1976. The story is about a boy who tries to become an Eagle Scout
on the Moon
.
Though the story is not usually counted among the Future History stories, Heinlein wrote in a foreword in Expanded Universe that This story is compatible with the so-called "Future History" series. It is also part of my continuing post-War-II attempt to leave the SF-pulp field and spread out. Heinlein wrote a "teleplay" or treatment, date uncertain but possibly sometime in 1959. It was not published or produced. It is approximately 30 pages (13,000 words) as collected in Expanded Universe (1980). The story was again collected in Off the Main Sequence
(2005).
, temperature extremes, the extended lunar "day" and reduced gravity.
The next day they hike to Base Camp, which are some caves roughly but adequately furnished with an oxygen producing hydroponic garden, solar panels, and sealed pressure. From here Sam and Bruce go on a two-person hike across rough terrain, up a cliff face and down another.
Disaster strikes when the pitons break loose and Sam is injured in a fall. Bruce rigs a make-shift toboggan to haul Sam and they set out across the plain. A second catastrophe sees them falling into one of numerous dust-filled sinkholes, trapping them in a cavern. At first Sam loses hope, but Bruce is steadfast. After trying to find a way out through the cave and trying to shift the dustpile to expose the hole they fell through, nothing works. Their air is running out and as Bruce gets discouraged it is Sam's turn to bolster their courage. Bruce tries again to find a route out of the caverns and finally gets them onto the surface where they repeat "M'aidez" (Mayday
) into their radio as their air fails and they are found by the troop.
As Bruce is recuperating, the scoutmaster tells him that they will get him ready for the examination in two weeks time, whatever it takes.
:
Part 1 (April 1949 p.5)
Part 2 (May 1949, p. 16)
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
and published in April and May 1949 in Boys' Life
Boys' Life
Boys' Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America . Its targeted readership is young American males between the ages of 6 and 18.Boys' Life is published in two demographic editions...
, a magazine of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, who jointly hold copyright with Heinlein, dated 1976. The story is about a boy who tries to become an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.
Though the story is not usually counted among the Future History stories, Heinlein wrote in a foreword in Expanded Universe that This story is compatible with the so-called "Future History" series. It is also part of my continuing post-War-II attempt to leave the SF-pulp field and spread out. Heinlein wrote a "teleplay" or treatment, date uncertain but possibly sometime in 1959. It was not published or produced. It is approximately 30 pages (13,000 words) as collected in Expanded Universe (1980). The story was again collected in Off the Main Sequence
Off the Main Sequence
Off the Main Sequence: The Other Science Fiction Stories of Robert A. Heinlein is a collection of 27 Robert A. Heinlein short stories, including three that Heinlein never collected in book form.- Table of contents :...
(2005).
Setting
The story is set on the Moon, in the mid 21st century or later. During the adventure, Heinlein weaves many explanations of problems, details and consequences of surviving on the moon under harsh lunar conditions, such as vacuumVacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
, temperature extremes, the extended lunar "day" and reduced gravity.
Plot summary
Bruce is an Eagle Scout from Colorado on his way to Venus with a three week layover on the Moon. He hopes to qualify as an Eagle Scout (Luna) and then go on to become an Eagle Scout (Venus), the first triple Eagle. Shortly after his arrival on the Moon things get off to a rocky start when he gets a hard time from the troop he's assigned to, because nobody, not even the scoutmaster, believes he can make the grade. But quickly he is taken good care of by another scout, Sam, as the troop suits up for a hike. After some amount of bounding interrupted with a short section where they ski over powdery dust, the troop builds a pressurized shelter for some sleep.The next day they hike to Base Camp, which are some caves roughly but adequately furnished with an oxygen producing hydroponic garden, solar panels, and sealed pressure. From here Sam and Bruce go on a two-person hike across rough terrain, up a cliff face and down another.
Disaster strikes when the pitons break loose and Sam is injured in a fall. Bruce rigs a make-shift toboggan to haul Sam and they set out across the plain. A second catastrophe sees them falling into one of numerous dust-filled sinkholes, trapping them in a cavern. At first Sam loses hope, but Bruce is steadfast. After trying to find a way out through the cave and trying to shift the dustpile to expose the hole they fell through, nothing works. Their air is running out and as Bruce gets discouraged it is Sam's turn to bolster their courage. Bruce tries again to find a route out of the caverns and finally gets them onto the surface where they repeat "M'aidez" (Mayday
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
) into their radio as their air fails and they are found by the troop.
As Bruce is recuperating, the scoutmaster tells him that they will get him ready for the examination in two weeks time, whatever it takes.
External Links
Google Books text of "Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon," a two-part serial in Boys' Life magazine illustrated by Reynold BrownReynold Brown
Reynold Brown was a prolific American realist artist who drew many Hollywood film posters....
:
Part 1 (April 1949 p.5)
Part 2 (May 1949, p. 16)