02704cam a22003853u 4500 68783 UtSlPG 20260610134605.0 m cr n 260607r20221956utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975 The swamp was upside down Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2022 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Colonial Survey Produced from Astounding Science Fiction September 1956 Release date is 2022-08-18 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Swamp Was Upside Down" by Murray Leinster is a science fiction novella published in the mid-20th century, specifically in 1956, within the pages of "Astounding Science Fiction." The story revolves around the complexities of a colonial survey mission on a planet called Canna III, focusing on the profound environmental issues that arise when civilization interacts with alien ecosystems. The narrative involves elements of space travel, crisis management, and the responsibilities of scientific authority in the face of looming disaster. In the plot, Senior Officer Hardwick is summoned to Sector Headquarters after peculiar changes occur on the planet due to extensive irrigation practices that have led to the soil destabilization. As the situation worsens, tensions arise between civilian populations and the Survey personnel, particularly regarding their approach to the extensive groundwater issues generated by their irrigation systems. Hardwick and his junior officer, Lieutenant Barnes, work against time to find solutions, including utilizing ship-fuel to modify the soil structure while preventing catastrophic outcomes like landslides or explosions. The story explores themes of authority, ingenuity, and the consequences of human interference in nature, ultimately portraying a race against time to save both the island and its inhabitants from disaster. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: United States: Street & Smith Publications, Inc., 1956 Science fiction Space colonies -- Fiction Geology -- Fiction Freas, Kelly, 1922-2005 Colonial Survey Produced from Astounding Science Fiction September 1956 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68783 109587 109587