TY  - BOOK
AU  - Clifton,Mark
AU  - Apostolides,Alex
AU  - Orban,Paul
TI  - Progress Report
T2  - Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction July 1953
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2011///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Space flight -- Fiction
KW  - Space ships -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2011-07-27; Produced by Greg Weeks, Dianna Adair and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "Progress Report" by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides is a science fiction narrative written in the early 1950s. The story revolves around a critical test flight of a new spacecraft, exploring themes of human ambition, the scientific quest for knowledge, and the political machinations that can influence technological progress. The backdrop of Cold War anxieties and technological advancements serves to heighten the stakes and tensions throughout the plot.  The narrative follows Colonel Jennings and his team as they prepare for a crucial test of their spacecraft, with a politically motivated senator, O'Noonan, observing the proceedings. The tense atmosphere is amplified by the senator's ignorance and dismissive attitude toward the scientific efforts at play, as he seeks personal glory and relevance. Just as the spacecraft successfully launches, it inexplicably loses contact, raising alarms about what could have gone wrong. The ending reveals that the ship had been tampered with, suggesting external intervention, represented by the cryptic message "Not yet." This twist underlines the complexities of man's pursuit of progress while hinting at unknown forces that may decide humanity's readiness for space exploration. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36867
ER  -