History Literature / MinusPlanet

->''There was one projectile big enough to \\
make a dent in the planet's path \\

This story deals with the observation of the entry of a [[RoguePlanet foreign body]] into the solar system that seems to be on a collision course with Earth. Close analysis of it, confirms one of the observing scientists suspicions, that it is composed out of AntiMatter, and dubbed the [[TitleDrop Minus Planet]]. A quick [[ThePlan plan]] gets underway to place thrusting rockets on Earth's Moon and drive it into the Minus Planet to destroy it. However, a [[TheFundamentalist cult leader]], convinced the planet has been sent by God to punish the wayward and wicked humanity, intervenes to prevent any plans.

The work is noteworthy for being the first mention in literary history of the concept of AntiMatter -- here described as being the counterpart to an atom -- the ''antron''. This places the work among others up on the SlidingScale/HardScienceFiction scale -- (5 - 5.5).

* ArtisticLicense: [[FairForItsDay Given its time]], it can be forgiven that some scientific details throughout the story don't match our current understanding of them.
** ArtisticLicenseGeology: The effects of detaching the Moon from Earth's orbit are only described as affecting the tides on Earth, and causing some earthquakes... and that's about it. Artificial satellites have observed that an earthquake can cause a shift in the Earth's axis -- moving the Moon by a few meters and too suddenly might be catastrophic for everything on Earth.
** ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The effects of radiation on the characters is described to be only skin deep, like a bad sunburn. Something that the application of [[AntiRadiationDrug some cream can fix]]. It is only a few years later, after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, that the effects of radiation on a living body were widely understood.
** ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: The scientist's ship is supposedly designed to have radiation shielding -- something that RealLife research of the early 21[[superscript:st]] century has placed as being between prohibitively expensive to integrate into a spaceship and impossible, particularly for a craft that is supposed to take off from the surface of the Earth.

* TheFundamentalist: Obidiah Miller, who believes the Minus Planet has been sent by God to destroy humanity. He starts a cult that adheres to this belief so much that they begin protests and activities to hamper the worldwide effort to destroy the Minus Planet. Considering his danger, authorities lock him in a mental care institution -- but he escapes, infiltrates a work-crew to board the flight of the Moon to intercept the planet and destroys its automated/remote controls, ultimately planning to become a martyr for his cause.
-->''He’s a martyr, of course. Perfectly willing to die with the Earth if he can keep everybody else from living.''

* {{Science Hero}}es: Dr. Carter and his assistant Dr. Poggenpohl are astrophysicists.

* {{There Are Two Kinds Of People|InTheWorld}}: Discussed by Dr. Carter: Those few with education and a reasonably understanding of science and its necessity in society. And those without -- the foolish masses, prone to aimless stupidity and drinking, squandering their lives away. The latter group even poses problems with ThePlan.

* {{Zeerust}}: Dr. Carter observes the AntiMatter planet, compares his sightings with those of observatories on Mars and Venus, and works out that it's heading for Earth -- with a slide rule.

->There was one projectile big enough to \\

-- the Moon -- and they could spare it.

-->He’s a martyr, of course. Perfectly willing to die with the Earth if he can keep everybody else from living.

-->Considering the fate of that piece of steel you sent out of the gun. I don’t think we'll land this time. It might be unhealthy.

A ScienceFiction ShortStory written by Creator/JohnDClark. Published in [[Magazine/{{Analog}} Astounding Stories]], April 1937 issue (volume 19 number 02).

It deals with the observation of the entry of a foreign body into the solar system that seems to be on a collision course with Earth. Close analysis of it, confirms one of the observing scientists suspicions, that it is composed out of AntiMatter, and dubbed the [[TitleDrop Minus Planet]]. A quick [[ThePlan plan]] gets underway to place thrusting rockets on Earth's Moon and drive it into the Minus Planet to destroy it. However, a cult leader, convinced the planet has been sent by God to punish the wayward and wicked humanity, intervenes to prevent any plans.

The work is noteworthy for being the first mention in literary history of the concept of AntiMatter -- here described as being the counterpart to an atom -- the ''antron''. This places the work among others up on the SlidingScale/HardScienceFiction scale.

* AntiMatter: The Minus Planet is composed of this. It is observed to be emitting strange radiation that is compromising Dr. Carter's attempts to analyze it. Once he and his colleagues get close enough to the planet to study it, they discover that not only it is made out of AntiMatter, but that it is about the size of our Moon and the mass of Jupiter.

* ArtisticLicense: Given its time, it can be forgiven that some scientific details don't match reality.
** ArtisticLicenseGeology: The effects of detaching the Moon from Earth's orbit are only described as affecting the tides on Earth, and causing some earthquakes... and that's about it.
** ArtisticLicenseMedicine: The effects of radiation on the characters is described to be only skin deep, like a sunburn. Something that the application of [[AntiRadiationDrug some cream can fix]].

* PomPomGirl: At the end of the story, the scientists walking out of their spacecraft, are greeted by a group of "gold braid and blazing stuffed shirts" of a combined effort to give them a heroes' welcome.

** From InUniverse Dr. Carter to the RealLife research on AntiMatter -- done in 1934[[note]]3 years before the publication of this story[[/note]].
** In RealLife, the outer planet of Pluto was discovered just 7 years prior, in 1930 -- and in fact was studied for its potential to be traveling towards the inner planets of the solar system.

-> There was one projectile big enough to \\

A ScienceFiction ShortStory written by Creator/JohnDClark. Published in [[Magazine/{{Analog}} Astounding Stories]] Apr 1937 issue.

It deals with the observation of the entry of a foreign body into the solar system that seems to be on a collision course with Earth. Close analysis of it, confirms one of the observing scientists suspicions about it, it is composed out of AntiMatter, and dubbed the Minus Planet. A quick plan gets underway to place thrusting rockets on Earth's Moon and drive it into the Minus Planet to destroy it. However, a cult leader, convinced the planet has been sent by God to punish the wayward and wicked humanity, intervenes to prevent any plans.

The work is noteworthy for being the first mention in literary history of the concept of AntiMatter -- here described as being the counterpart to an atom, the ''antron''.

* AntiRadiationDrug: After successfully destroying the Minus Planet, the scientists, burned by radiation exposure, simply butter themselves with a cream that cures them of their problems.
* CannonFodder: The work on installing the rockets on the Moon, has a great deal of people involved that are treated as expendable. If someone dies, their replacement is instructed to just move the body away and continue the work.
* DrinkingOnDuty: Dr. Carter and Dr. Michael Poggenpohi indulge in a few bottles of beer after the latter has answered the former's questions about what is ''matter''.
* ForegoneConclusion: Partially. When the story was first published it had a two page spread illustration showing the Moon propelled by multiple thrusters and aimed at a white celestial object. It even had a rocket-ship leaving the Moon and the page quote up above.

* MrExposition: Dr. James Carter -- the scientist that makes the first observations about the foreign object. He has the most to say about anything throughout the story so naturally his remarks explain a few things throughout.
* ThePlan: Once Dr. Carter and his colleagues get back from studying the Planet, they start a conference of scientists to discuss what is there to be done about it since there is no armament humanity possesses that could even make a small difference. Dr. Carter proposes to equip the Moon with rockets, detach it from Earth's orbit and move it on an intercept course with the Minus Planet -- surprisingly, while it does cause an uproar, it quickly becomes the only plan that they can follow and justly agree upon.
* RoguePlanet: The eponymous planet that is heading towards Earth -- Dr. Carter, after studying it, theorizes that it must of been created in some distant and strange nebula and got ejected from it. Given its composition, the scientists further theorize that it must have started out as a planet the size of Jupiter but with the mass of our Moon, and as time passed, these properties reversed.
* ShoutOut: From InUniverse Dr. Carter to the RealLife research on AntiMatter -- done in 1934.

--> '''Dr. Carter''': Considering the fate of that piece of steel you sent out of the gun. I don’t think we'll land this time. It might be unhealthy.

* AntiRadiationDrug: After successfully destroying the Minus planet, the scientists, burned by radiation exposure, simply butter themselves with a cream that cures them of their problems.

* TheFundamentalist: Obidiah Miller, who believes the Minus Planet has been sent by God to destroy humanity. He starts a cult that adheres to this belief so much that they begin protests and activities to hamper the worldwide effort to destroy the Minus Planet. Considering his danger, authorities lock him in a mental care institution -- but he escapes, boards the flight of the Moon to intercept the planet and destroys its automated/remote controls, ultimately planning to become a martyr for the cause.
* TheFuture: The story takes place in 2156. Humanity has colonies on Mars and Venus. They have interplanetary space travel available, powered by nuclear energy. Our characters even travel in a spaceship that was near their research facility.
* ThePlan: Once Dr. Carter and his colleagues get back from studying the Planet, they start a conference of scientists to discuss what is there to be done about it since there is no armament humanity possesses that could even make a small difference. Dr. Carter proposes to equip the Moon with rockets, detach it from Earth's orbit and move it on an intercept course with the Minus Planet -- surprisingly, while it does cause an uproar, it quickly becomes the only plan that they can follow.
* MadeOfExplodium: The eponymous planet is made of AntiMatter. It constantly flashes when space dust touches its surface. The scientist shoot a steel projectile at it to discover how dangerous such contact can be.

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Those few with education and a reasonably understanding of science. And those without -- the foolish masses, prone to stupidity and drinking, squandering their lives away.

A short Science-Fiction story written in 1937 by John D. Clark. It deals with the observation of the entry of a foreign body into the solar system that seems to be on a collision course with Earth. Close analysis of it, confirms one of the observing scientists suspicions about it, it is composed out of AntiMatter, and dubbed the Minus Planet. A quick plan gets underway to place thrusting rockets on Earth's Moon and drive it into the Minus Planet to destroy it. However, a cult leader, convinced the planet has been sent by God to punish the wicked humanity, intervenes to prevent any plans.

The work is noteworthy for being the first mention in history of the concept of AntiMatter -- here described as being the counterpart to an atom, the ''antron''.


* AntiMatter: The Minus Planet is composed of this. It is observed to be emitting strange radiation that is compromising Dr. Carter's attempts to analyze it. Once he and his colleagues get close enough to the planet to study it, they discover that not only it is made out of AntiMatter, but that it is the size of our moon and the mass of Jupiter.
* MrExposition: Dr. James Carter -- the scientist that makes the first observations about the foreign object. He has the most to say about anything throughout the story so naturally they all explain a few things throughout.
* TheFuture: The Story takes place in 2156. Humanity has colonies on Mars and Venus. They have interplanetary space travel available, powered by nuclear energy.

*

The work is noteworthy for being the first mention in history of the concept of AntiMatter -- here described as being the counterpart to an atom, the ''antron''.