deep space n.
that part of space far away from planets or stars
Occasionally (as in 1921 quot.) used to refer to regions of space that are outside Earth's atmosphere.
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1921 N.Y. Times 12 Nov. 21/8
The scientist estimates the cost of the rocket ship, which he sees taking man on his first trip into deep space, at $2,000,000,000. Such a journey, he prophesies, ‘is only a step within the cramped confines of the solar system’ and should be the beginning of far more ambitious adventures into the far-off heavens.
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1937
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Edward E. Smith
bibliography
Alone in his ship, and in deep space although he was, he blushed painfully as he remembered what had happened to him during that visit.
Galactic Patrol in Astounding Stories Dec. 76/1 -
1939
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Edward E. Smith
bibliography
Like most of the girls here, I suppose, I have never been out in deep space at all. Besides a few hops to the moon, I have taken only two flits, and they were both only interplanetary.
in Astounding Science-Fiction Oct. 26/2 -
1941
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Robert A. Heinlein
It was luck that had placed the Ship near a star with a planetary system, luck that the Ship arrived there with a speed low enough for Hugh to counteract it in a ship’s auxiliary craft, luck that he learned to handle it after a fashion before they starved or lost themselves in deep space.
Common Sense in Astounding Science-Fiction Oct. 150/2 -
1951 Dark Tower in Startling Stories July 28/1
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Wallace West
bibliography
He had to put that limitation on to avoid draining his power packs on the hunks of rock that float endlessly through deep space.
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1965
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Fred Saberhagen
bibliography
Why, though, should any ship approach and hail him in deep space?
Masque of the Red Shift in Worlds of If Nov. 39/1 -
1987
David Brin
Let them engage in uplift of their new clients from deepspace!
Uplift War 592 -
1989
David Dvorkin
Daniel Dvorkin
bibliography
The appearance of the Centurion on the scene, coming in unexpectedly from deep space…had precipitated the battle.
Star Trek: Next Generation: Captains' Honor viii. 155 -
1990
Robert L. Forward
The thought of leaving twenty brave people stranded in deep space…brought the nation up short.
Rocheworld 131 -
1991
Margaret Weis
bibliography
The guard…looked as if he wished the ship’s hull would crack open, suck him into deepspace.
King’s Test . i. 5 -
2015
Alan Dean Foster
bibliography
Visual recognition ignited a small but very important internal sequence that concluded with the GA-97 sending out a compressed signal that was bounced around, coded, decoded, encrypted, and flashed out into deep space.
Force Awakens 166 -
2018
Nnedi Okorafor
Good morning, Wakanda. It’s a historic day as final preparations are being made for our nation’s first human space mission. King T’Challa and his associate, the mutant known as Manifold, will take the shuttle that you see here on an exploratory mission into deep space.
Gone in Shuri (#1) Dec. (2019) (unpaged)
Research requirements
antedating 1921
Earliest cite
N.Y. Times
Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1941 cite from Robert Heinlein's "Common Sense".Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a reprint of E.E. Smith's "Grey Lensman"; Mike Christie verified the cite in the 1939 first magazine appearance.
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from the 1950 first book publication of E.E. Smith's "Galactic Patrol"; Mike Christie verified it in the 1937 serialization in Astounding.
Ammon Shea submitted a 1921 cite from the NY Times.
Bee Ostrowsky submitted a 2015 cite from Alan Dean Foster.
Earliest cite in OED2: 1952.
Last modified 2024-11-17 00:09:25
In the compilation of some
entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries
in OED.