sailship n.

a spacecraft using a solar sail as its chief method of propulsion

Vehicles

  • [1950 D. Wylie & F. A. Kummer When Time Went Mad in Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb. 24/2 page image Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr. Dirk Wylie bibliography

    One moment I was over old New York, aiming toward the updrafts in Wall Street Valley…. But there's a town to the west.…. I’d never seen a town like that and I’ve flown all around New York and beyond in my sail-ship.]

  • [1963 ‘C. Smith’ Think Blue, Count Two in Galaxy Feb. 48/2 Cordwainer Smith bibliography

    She went by light-sail ship. And she had to cross space—space, where the danger always waits.]

  • 1964 ‘W. P. Sanders’ Sunjammer in Analog Apr. 19/2 page image Poul Anderson bibliography

    The messages which drew a herdship off her path had always been automatic: beeps from a sailship whose interior sensors had registered trouble.

  • 1964 ‘C. Smith’ Dead Lady of Clown Town in Galaxy Aug. 11/2 page image Cordwainer Smith bibliography

    It selected a fertilized human embryo, tagged it with the freakish name ‘Elaine,’ irradiated the genetic code with strong aptitudes for witchcraft and then marked the person’s card for training in medicine, transportation by sailship to Fomalhaut III and release for service on the planet.

  • 1974 V. N. McIntyre Mountains of Sunset in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Feb. 106/1 page image Vonda N. McIntyre bibliography

    She had not minded trading hunting grounds for sailship cubicles: the universe lay waiting. She entered the ship young and eager.

  • 1984 F. Pohl Heechee Rendezvous xii. 125 page image Frederik Pohl bibliography

    ‘Yes. A sailship,’ Albert agreed. ‘A photonic spacecraft. Its only propulsion is from light pressure against the array of sails.’

  • 1996 C. Oberndorf Oracle in Asimov’s Science Fiction Sept. 93 page image Charles Oberndorf bibliography

    Twenty days in a sailship is a long time.

  • 2012 C. Roberson Further: Beyond the Threshold xiii. 67 page image Chris Roberson bibliography

    The Pethesilean mining vessel was a sailship. Propelled by the pressure upon their light[-]reflective sails of photons broadcast from laser arrays in orbit around stars, they are able to reach speeds approaching half the speed of light in one-point-six years.

Research requirements

antedating 1964
Research History
Suggested by Ben Ostrowsky.

Last modified 2021-04-01 13:46:13
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.