space force n.
a branch of the military that acts in outer space
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1932
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Ray Cummings
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The masters of Wandl immediately recognized the paramount importance of the coming battle in space, and promptly sent more space-forces off.
Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May 244 -
1935
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John W. Campbell, Jr.
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He talked to the space-force staff and showed them a greater source of power lay in the sun.
Mightiest Machine in Astounding Stories Jan. 151/2 -
1940
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Jack Williamson
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Why have you gathered three fourths of your space forces, to crush a handful of plotters?
Hindsight in Astounding Science-Fiction May 104/1 -
1950
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Alfred Bester
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On March 20th, the war broke…. On July 11th he was brevetted to command of the wrecked Space Force, being jumped one thousand seven hundred eighty-nine grades over regular officers. On September 19th he assumed supreme command in the Battle of the Parsec and won the victory that ended the disastrous solar annihilation called the Six Month War.
Devil's Invention in Astounding Science Fiction Aug. 144/2 -
1965
Marion Zimmer Bradley
bibliography
The man who bought this gun from our space-force guard has a collection of rare old weapons.
Star of Danger (1985) 19 -
1999 U.S. News & World Report 8 Nov. 38/1
Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on strategic forces, has threatened congressional action to establish a fifth military service—a Space Force—if the Air Force, which has responsibility for most of the Pentagon’s orbiting systems, doesn’t pursue space weapons more aggressively.
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2004
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Michael Bishop
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Counselor Ztang…let slip that a virulent fungal smut had almost derailed his aspirations to enter the ztun space force.
Angst of God in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Oct.–Nov. 93 -
2019
Yoon Ha Lee
bibliography
Just two more years left before I could take the entrance exams for the Thousand Worlds Space Forces and follow my brother, Jun, into the service. That was all that kept me going.
Dragon Pearl i. 3
Research requirements
antedating 1932
Earliest cite
Ray Cummings, "Wandl, the Invader"
Research History
Fred Galvin submitted a 1950 cite from Alfred Bester's "The Devil's Invention".Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2019 cite from Yoon Ha Lee.
Last modified 2021-03-31 15:16:22
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