normal space n.

esp. in reference to space travel: the type of space that exhibits the physical laws as we know them, in contrast to hyperspace n.

  • 1931 J. W. Campbell Islands of Space in Amazing Stories Quarterly Spring 215/1 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    They were moving slowly, in normal space, only four miles a second, so they were falling swiftly toward the planet.

  • 1932 J. W. Campbell Invaders from the Infinite in Amazing Stories Quarterly Spring 156/2 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    But this is the secret: the ship attains the speed only by going out of space. Nothing in space can attain the speed of light, save radiation! Nothing in normal space. But, we alter space, make space along patterns we choose, and so distort it that the natural speed of radiation is enormously greater. In fact, we so change space that nothing can go slower than a speed we fix.

  • 1932 J. W. Campbell Invaders from the Infinite in Amazing Stories Quarterly Spring 159/1 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    The attraction of the giant sun was draining the energy from the coils so rapidly now, that at last Arcot was forced to get into normal space, while the planet was still close to a million miles from them.

  • 1942 I. Asimov Black Friar of Flame in Planet Stories Spring 10/2 Isaac Asimov

    ‘Now then, you feel better. But come, in a few moments we shall leave hyper-space and we will see Sol.’ Already, even as he spoke, the thick, choking cloak of hyper-stuff that clung so closely to the sides of the Flaming Nova was going through those curious changes that marked the beginning of the shift to normal space.

  • 1947 ‘H. Hastings’ Big Night in Thrilling Wonder Stories June 42/1

    The visor screens blurred and shimmered with crawling colors, flicking back and forth, on and off, as La Cucaracha fought the see-saw between hyper and normal space.

  • 1949 R. Osborne Action on Azura in Planet Stories Fall 78/2

    Little old piece of nickel-iron sure raised heck, didn’t it, Mr. Stuart? Come out into normal space for two minutes to get a bearing, and—wham !

  • 1951 J. Vance Winner Lose All in Galaxy Science Fiction Dec. 94/2 Jack Vance

    Call the captain, ring general quarters. We're going into normal space.

  • 1952 ‘M. Leinster’ Barrier in Space Science Fiction Sept. 117/2 Murray Leinster

    It became an area of stress in which the speed of light went away up—and therefore an area in which the Star Pup could travel hundreds of times faster than in normal space.

  • 1964 H. Harrison Final Encounter in Galaxy Magazine Apr. 143/1 Harry Harrison

    They were all in the control area when the bell pinged softly and they broke through, back into normal space. Here, at the galactic rim, most of the stars were massed to one side.

  • 1991 G. Zebrowski Stranger Suns 130 George Zebrowski

    As the ship left the station, we saw the same sun again in jumpspace and in normal space.

  • 1997 D. Weber & S. White In Death Ground (prologue) 3 David Weber Steve White bibliography

    Survey Command lost more ships to accidents in normal space than on exploration duties.

  • 2014 R. R. Chase Decaying Orbit in Year’s Best Military SF & Space Opera (2015) 127 page image Robert R. Chase bibliography

    Heat washed over my skin, the feeling you get when you make a quantum jump and the suppressor fields aren’t precisely aligned. Five seconds later we were back in normal space.

Research requirements

antedating 1931
Earliest cite

John W. Campbell Jr., "Islands of Space"
Research History
Douglas Winston submitted a 1967 cite from Mike Hodus' "Dead End".
Ralf Brown located and Steven Silver submitted a 1991 cite from George Zebrowski's "Stranger Suns".
Jeff Prucher submitted a 2000 cite from a reprint of David Weber and Steve White's 1997 "In Death Ground".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1947 cite from Hudson Hastings' (aka H. Kuttner and C.L. Moore) "The Big Night".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1942 cite from Isaac Asimov's "Black Friar of the Flame".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1951 cite from Jack Vance's "Winner Lose All".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1954 cite from Randall Garrett's "Time Fuze".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1949 cite from Robertson Osborne's "Action on Azura".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1959 reprint of Robert Silverberg's "The Planet Killers" (originally published in 1957 as "This World Must Die!".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from Roger Dee's "The Minister Had to Wait".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1964 cite from Harry Harrison's "Final Encounter".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1950 reprint of Clifford D. Simak's 1939 "Cosmic Engineers"
Fred Galvin submitted a 1952 cite from Murray Leinster's "The Barrier".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from James E. Gunn's "Breaking Point".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1951 cite from Lester del Rey's "'The Years Draw Nigh'".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1940 cite from an editorial blurb in Astonishing Stories.
Fred Galvin submitted a 1932 cite from John W. Campbell Jr.'s "Invaders From the Infinite".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1931 cite from John W. Campbell Jr.'s "Islands of Space".
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2014 cite from Robert R. Reed.

Last modified 2021-08-30 10:13:57
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.