spacing n. 1

the act of travelling in space; (also) the profession of working in space

  • 1942 ‘C. Corwin’ Crisis! in Science Fiction Quarterly Spring 130/2 page image C. M. Kornbluth bibliography

    Earth was in a very peculiar situation. Only a century ago it had begun really intensive spacing, with freight-exchanges and mining.

  • 1949 A. Coppel Runaway in Planet Stories Spring 33/1 page image Alfred Coppel bibliography

    He was a laconic old soul who loved spacing only a jot better than he loved Martian alky.

  • 1954 G. O. Smith Spacemen Lost in Startling Stories Fall 22/2 page image George O. Smith bibliography

    Alice was breathing a silent prayer to Commodore Wilson that he make it a quick run. She was sick and tired of spacing already.

  • 1956 R. A. Heinlein Time for Stars iii. 36 Robert A. Heinlein bibliography

    There would be no spacing for the twin left behind, not even inside the Solar System…and I had never even been to the Moon.

  • 1970 R. Silverberg Tower of Glass in Galaxy Magazine June 83/1 Robert Silverberg bibliography

    In this spacious catacomb many types of transportation devices were manufactured, covering all needs that the transmat could not meet: ocean-crawlers, sliders for surface travel, stratospheric gliders, heavy-duty powerhaulers, immersion modules for use on high-pressure worlds, ion-drive systemships for short-hop spacing, interstellar probes, gravity boxes, skydivers, minirailers, sunscoops.

  • 1973 A. D. Foster Bloodhype 79 Alan Dean Foster bibliography

    If you've ever a mind to learn spacing, my ship, the Umbra, is listed in all the registries.

  • 1991 D. Stabenow Second Star vi. 128 Dana Stabenow

    What I told you about the family firm was true, as far as I went. I've always been more interested in spacing than in building another Terran empire.

  • 1995 N. Nichols & M. W. Bonanno Saturn’s Child (1996) xvi. 261 page image Margaret Wander Bonanno Nichelle Nichols bibliography

    ‘May I ask you a personal question? You were friendly with several of the crew of the Dragon’s Egg, were you not?’ ‘Still am,’ Beth admitted with a frown, wondering where this question was coming from. ‘Spacing’s a small world; everybody knows everybody else. And Nyota Domonique and I were roomies at the academy, if that’s your question.’

  • 2014 B. Herbert & K. J. Anderson Mentats of Dune 228 page image Kevin J. Anderson Brian Herbert bibliography

    He has created a vast invisible network, like a cancer working through the Imperium—he owns the largest spacing fleet, the only one with access to Navigators for safe transport.

Research requirements

antedating 1942
Earliest cite

C. M. Kornbluth, "Crisis!"
Research History
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.
Douglas Winston submitted a 1956 cite from Robert A. Heinlein's "Time for the Stars".
Douglas Winston submitted a 1991 cite from Dana Stabenow's "Second Star". Fred Galvin submitted a 1949 cite from Alfred Coppel, Jr.'s "Runaway".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1997 reprint of C.M. Kornbluth's "Crisis!"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the original publication (Science Fiction Quarterly, Spring 1942, writing as Cecil Corwin)
Ralf Brown located a cite in an electronic text of Alan Dean Foster's 1973 "Bloodhype", and David Dyer-Bennet verified it in a paper copy.
Fred Galvin submitted a 1954 cite from George O. Smith's "Spacemen Lost".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1987 cite from Thomas R. McDonough's "The Architects of Hyperspace".
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 1996 cite from Nichelle Nichols and Margaret Wander Bonanno.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2014 cite from Mentats of Dune.

Last modified 2021-12-01 18:02:24
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.