spaceward adj.

facing or directed towards space

  • 1940 J. R. Fearn War of the Scientists in Amazing Stories Apr. 69/2 page image John Russell Fearn bibliography

    Sykes swept on through the mist, following close in the wake of the spaceward bacilli horde.

  • 1941 C. D. Simak Masquerade in Astounding Science-Fiction Mar. 61/2 page image Clifford D. Simak bibliography

    Let one of those gadgets fail—let one of those spaceward beams sway as much as a fraction of a degree—Curt shuddered at the thought of a beam of terrific power smashing into a planet—€”perhaps into a city.

  • 1942 ‘W. Stewart’ Minus Sign in Astounding Science-Fiction Nov. 73/2 page image Jack Williamson bibliography

    He set up the calculator to find a dead-reckoning position: from the known position of the original contraterrene asteroid, HSM CT-445-N-812, determined from the Ephemeris for ten o’clock on the evening of March 23rd; and the observed direction and velocity of the rock’s inexplicable spaceward flight, taking into account the diminishing gravitational drag of the Sun and the planets, from which it was so swiftly escaping.

  • 1953 R. Z. Gallun Comet’s Burial in Science Fiction Stories (#1) 68 page image Raymond Z. Gallun bibliography

    The comet seemed to move slowly, its coma flattening over the Moon’s spaceward hemispheres.

  • 1962 J. G. Ballard Thirteen to Centaurus in Amazing Stories Apr. 40/1 page image J. G. Ballard bibliography

    In fifteen years a lot could happen, there might be another spaceward swing of public opinion.

  • 1970 P. Anderson Tau Zero (1973) 23 Poul Anderson bibliography

    Hands eagerly turned cranks on the spaceward side of the boat, sliding back the plates that covered the glasyl viewports.

  • 1994 R. Silverberg Hot Sky at Midnight 64 Robert Silverberg bibliography

    Around the periphery of the shell’s spaceward face was a deep layer of lunar slag held in place by centrifugal forces, the tailings that had been left over after the extraction of the gases and minerals that had been needed in the construction of the satellite world.

  • 2015 L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Solar Express xiii. 74 page image L. E. Modesitt, Jr. bibliography

    He could see that he hadn’t corrected enough for the spaceward drift caused by a less than perfectly balance course shift.


Research requirements

antedating 1940

Earliest cite

John Russell Fearn, in Amazing Stories

Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1941 cite from Clifford Simak's "Masquerade".
Mike Christie submitted a 1942 cite from Jack Williamson (writing as "Will Stewart") 's "Minus Sign", in Astounding.
Douglas Winston submitted a 1998 cite from Diane Duane's "Starrise at Corrivale".
Ralf Brown located, and Douglas Winston and Lawrence Watt-Evans independently submitted, a cite from a reprint of Robert Silverberg's "Tower of Glass"; Mike Christie verified the cite in the 1970 first magazine appearance.
Jeff Prucher submitted a cite from a 2000 reprint of Ann McCaffrey & Mercedes Lackey's 1992 "The Ship Who Searched".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1962 cite from J.G.Ballard's "Thirteen to Centaurus".

Last modified 2023-02-08 16:11:25
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.