TY  - BOOK
AU  - Haseltine,Robert W.
AU  - Terry,W.E.
TI  - Prelude to Space
T2  - Produced from Imagination May 1954
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2009///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction
KW  - Human-alien encounters -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2009-11-01; Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "Prelude to Space" by Robert W. Haseltine is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative revolves around themes of extraterrestrial life and humanity's readiness for space exploration. Haseltine explores the idea of interstellar civilizations and the processes involved in determining if Earth is prepared to join a galactic community.  The story unfolds through the protagonist's encounter with a mysterious stranger who claims to be a poll taker from another planet. During a conversation on a Wisconsin hill, the stranger discusses the Galactic Federation and the criteria for Earth's admission into this interstellar organization. He explains that his civilization assesses whether Earth is ready based on the beliefs and readiness of its inhabitants regarding peace and space travel. The encounter leads to a realization of humanity's potential and the responsibilities that come with reaching out into the cosmos. Ultimately, the protagonist is left pondering the implications of this visit and the future of Earth in relation to other civilizations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30381
ER  -