Summertime on Icarus
Encyclopedia
"Summertime on Icarus" is a science fiction
short story
by Arthur C. Clarke
, first published in 1960. It was also published under the title "The Hottest Piece of Real Estate in the Solar System".
, shielded by the asteroid
Icarus
.
Travelling in his one-man mechanical pod, he suffers an accident and loses consciousness. When he comes to, he is not sure where he is - nor are the explorers in the mother ship. His pod is damaged and his communications are unreliable. Just as he is about to fry in the heat of the sun, he finds that he cannot even commit suicide as the controls don't respond. With seconds to go, he is spotted by a two-man capsule sent out by the expedition, and which is shielding him from the sun's heat in its shadow. He is rescued in the nick of time, but admits that, even on Earth, he will never enjoy summer again.
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...
by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, first published in 1960. It was also published under the title "The Hottest Piece of Real Estate in the Solar System".
Plot summary
This story tells of engineer Colin Sherrard on an expedition as part of the International Astrophysical Decade, which is intended to get a research spaceship within seventeen million miles of the SunSun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, shielded by the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
Icarus
1566 Icarus
1566 Icarus is an Apollo asteroid that at perihelion comes closer to the Sun than Mercury, i.e. it is a Mercury-crossing asteroid. It is also a Venus and Mars-crosser. It is named after Icarus of Greek mythology, who flew too close to the Sun...
.
Travelling in his one-man mechanical pod, he suffers an accident and loses consciousness. When he comes to, he is not sure where he is - nor are the explorers in the mother ship. His pod is damaged and his communications are unreliable. Just as he is about to fry in the heat of the sun, he finds that he cannot even commit suicide as the controls don't respond. With seconds to go, he is spotted by a two-man capsule sent out by the expedition, and which is shielding him from the sun's heat in its shadow. He is rescued in the nick of time, but admits that, even on Earth, he will never enjoy summer again.