Short story: man watches girlfriend's spaceship entering a 'black hole' (?) forever [duplicate]





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  • Looking for sci-fi novel I read about humanity finding alien station on orbit of Earth

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I read a sci-fi story in a collection of shorts about 10 years ago, I believe they were stories from 70s possibly and have been trying to track down the title.



My recollection is that a number of ships encountered problems with a black hole or similar timey-wimey space object, and the ship belonging to the protagonist's girlfriend/love interest sacrifices itself to save the others. The 'black hole's' properties being what they are, the man goes on to live his life on Earth where the ship is visible in space, stuck in the moment of their sacrifice forever.










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marked as duplicate by starpilotsix, TheLethalCarrot, Edlothiad, DavidW, Jenayah Apr 12 at 11:37


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  • 1





    I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

    – Organic Marble
    Apr 12 at 4:02


















16
















This question already has an answer here:




  • Looking for sci-fi novel I read about humanity finding alien station on orbit of Earth

    1 answer




I read a sci-fi story in a collection of shorts about 10 years ago, I believe they were stories from 70s possibly and have been trying to track down the title.



My recollection is that a number of ships encountered problems with a black hole or similar timey-wimey space object, and the ship belonging to the protagonist's girlfriend/love interest sacrifices itself to save the others. The 'black hole's' properties being what they are, the man goes on to live his life on Earth where the ship is visible in space, stuck in the moment of their sacrifice forever.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Tom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











marked as duplicate by starpilotsix, TheLethalCarrot, Edlothiad, DavidW, Jenayah Apr 12 at 11:37


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.














  • 1





    I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

    – Organic Marble
    Apr 12 at 4:02














16












16








16









This question already has an answer here:




  • Looking for sci-fi novel I read about humanity finding alien station on orbit of Earth

    1 answer




I read a sci-fi story in a collection of shorts about 10 years ago, I believe they were stories from 70s possibly and have been trying to track down the title.



My recollection is that a number of ships encountered problems with a black hole or similar timey-wimey space object, and the ship belonging to the protagonist's girlfriend/love interest sacrifices itself to save the others. The 'black hole's' properties being what they are, the man goes on to live his life on Earth where the ship is visible in space, stuck in the moment of their sacrifice forever.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Tom is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.













This question already has an answer here:




  • Looking for sci-fi novel I read about humanity finding alien station on orbit of Earth

    1 answer




I read a sci-fi story in a collection of shorts about 10 years ago, I believe they were stories from 70s possibly and have been trying to track down the title.



My recollection is that a number of ships encountered problems with a black hole or similar timey-wimey space object, and the ship belonging to the protagonist's girlfriend/love interest sacrifices itself to save the others. The 'black hole's' properties being what they are, the man goes on to live his life on Earth where the ship is visible in space, stuck in the moment of their sacrifice forever.





This question already has an answer here:




  • Looking for sci-fi novel I read about humanity finding alien station on orbit of Earth

    1 answer








story-identification short-stories






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edited Apr 12 at 3:34









Stormblessed

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asked Apr 12 at 3:25









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marked as duplicate by starpilotsix, TheLethalCarrot, Edlothiad, DavidW, Jenayah Apr 12 at 11:37


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.









marked as duplicate by starpilotsix, TheLethalCarrot, Edlothiad, DavidW, Jenayah Apr 12 at 11:37


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.










  • 1





    I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

    – Organic Marble
    Apr 12 at 4:02














  • 1





    I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

    – Organic Marble
    Apr 12 at 4:02








1




1





I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

– Organic Marble
Apr 12 at 4:02





I'd vote for Kyrie as well. Not a man though, a space dwelling telepathic alien. The woman can still hear him telepathically and enters a nunnery.

– Organic Marble
Apr 12 at 4:02










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















23














Are you thinking of Gateway by Frederick Pohl?



Gateway is a space station built into a hollow asteroid constructed by the Heechee, a long-vanished alien race. Humans have had limited success understanding Heechee technology found there and elsewhere in the solar system.



The main character is Robinette Stetley Broadhead — known as Robin, Rob, Robbie, or Bob, depending on circumstances and his state of mind. He is a young food shale miner on Earth who wins a lottery, giving him just enough money to purchase a one-way ticket to Gateway.



He develops a relationship with a woman named Klara who works on the space station.



When the ships arrive, their crews find to their horror that they are in the gravitational grip of a black hole without enough power to break free. The crews devise a desperate escape plan: Move everyone into one ship and eject the other toward the black hole, thus gaining enough of a boost to escape. Working frantically to transfer unnecessary equipment to make room, Broadhead finds himself alone in the wrong ship when time runs out. He closes the hatch so that the plan can proceed. By chance, his ship is the one that breaks free, leaving the rest of the crew falling into the black hole.



Broadhead returns to Gateway and receives the entire bonus. He feels enormous survivor guilt for leaving his crewmates, especially Klara, and is unsure whether he intended to sacrifice himself or the others.






share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

    – Tom
    Apr 12 at 3:59





















16














Sounds a lot like Poul Anderson's short story "Kyrie", which was the (unaccepted) answer to this old question. Does any of these covers look familiar?




He had not really understood what it would mean to confront something so violent that space and time themselves were twisted thereby.

His speed increased appallingly. That was in his own measure; from Raven they saw him fall through several days. The properties of matter were changed. He could not push hard enough or fast enough to escape.

Radiation, stripped nuclei, particles born and destroyed and born again, sleeted and shouted through him. His substance was peeled away, layer by layer.The supernova core was a white delirium before him. It shrank as he approached, ever smaller, denser, so brilliant that brilliance ceased to have meaning. Finally the gravitational forces laid their full grip upon him.

—Eloise! he shrieked in the agony of his disintegration—Oh, Eloise, help me!

The star swallowed him up. He was stretched infinitely long, compressed infinitely thin, and vanished from existence.

[. . . .]

Szili made soothing noises and left. In the corridor he encountered Mazundar. "How is she?" the physicist asked. The captain scowled. "Not good. I hope she doesn't crack entirely before we can get her to a psychiatrist."

"Why, what is wrong?"

"She thinks she can hear him."

Szili braced himself and waited.

"She does," Mazundar said. "Obviously she does."

"But that's impossible! He's dead!"

"Remember the time dilation," Mazundar replied. "He fell from the sky and perished swiftly, yes. But in supernova time. Not the same as ours. To us, the final stellar collapse takes an infinite number of years. And telepathy has no distance limits." The physicist started walking fast away from that cabin. "He will always be with her."







share|improve this answer
































    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    23














    Are you thinking of Gateway by Frederick Pohl?



    Gateway is a space station built into a hollow asteroid constructed by the Heechee, a long-vanished alien race. Humans have had limited success understanding Heechee technology found there and elsewhere in the solar system.



    The main character is Robinette Stetley Broadhead — known as Robin, Rob, Robbie, or Bob, depending on circumstances and his state of mind. He is a young food shale miner on Earth who wins a lottery, giving him just enough money to purchase a one-way ticket to Gateway.



    He develops a relationship with a woman named Klara who works on the space station.



    When the ships arrive, their crews find to their horror that they are in the gravitational grip of a black hole without enough power to break free. The crews devise a desperate escape plan: Move everyone into one ship and eject the other toward the black hole, thus gaining enough of a boost to escape. Working frantically to transfer unnecessary equipment to make room, Broadhead finds himself alone in the wrong ship when time runs out. He closes the hatch so that the plan can proceed. By chance, his ship is the one that breaks free, leaving the rest of the crew falling into the black hole.



    Broadhead returns to Gateway and receives the entire bonus. He feels enormous survivor guilt for leaving his crewmates, especially Klara, and is unsure whether he intended to sacrifice himself or the others.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 2





      THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

      – Tom
      Apr 12 at 3:59


















    23














    Are you thinking of Gateway by Frederick Pohl?



    Gateway is a space station built into a hollow asteroid constructed by the Heechee, a long-vanished alien race. Humans have had limited success understanding Heechee technology found there and elsewhere in the solar system.



    The main character is Robinette Stetley Broadhead — known as Robin, Rob, Robbie, or Bob, depending on circumstances and his state of mind. He is a young food shale miner on Earth who wins a lottery, giving him just enough money to purchase a one-way ticket to Gateway.



    He develops a relationship with a woman named Klara who works on the space station.



    When the ships arrive, their crews find to their horror that they are in the gravitational grip of a black hole without enough power to break free. The crews devise a desperate escape plan: Move everyone into one ship and eject the other toward the black hole, thus gaining enough of a boost to escape. Working frantically to transfer unnecessary equipment to make room, Broadhead finds himself alone in the wrong ship when time runs out. He closes the hatch so that the plan can proceed. By chance, his ship is the one that breaks free, leaving the rest of the crew falling into the black hole.



    Broadhead returns to Gateway and receives the entire bonus. He feels enormous survivor guilt for leaving his crewmates, especially Klara, and is unsure whether he intended to sacrifice himself or the others.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 2





      THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

      – Tom
      Apr 12 at 3:59
















    23












    23








    23







    Are you thinking of Gateway by Frederick Pohl?



    Gateway is a space station built into a hollow asteroid constructed by the Heechee, a long-vanished alien race. Humans have had limited success understanding Heechee technology found there and elsewhere in the solar system.



    The main character is Robinette Stetley Broadhead — known as Robin, Rob, Robbie, or Bob, depending on circumstances and his state of mind. He is a young food shale miner on Earth who wins a lottery, giving him just enough money to purchase a one-way ticket to Gateway.



    He develops a relationship with a woman named Klara who works on the space station.



    When the ships arrive, their crews find to their horror that they are in the gravitational grip of a black hole without enough power to break free. The crews devise a desperate escape plan: Move everyone into one ship and eject the other toward the black hole, thus gaining enough of a boost to escape. Working frantically to transfer unnecessary equipment to make room, Broadhead finds himself alone in the wrong ship when time runs out. He closes the hatch so that the plan can proceed. By chance, his ship is the one that breaks free, leaving the rest of the crew falling into the black hole.



    Broadhead returns to Gateway and receives the entire bonus. He feels enormous survivor guilt for leaving his crewmates, especially Klara, and is unsure whether he intended to sacrifice himself or the others.






    share|improve this answer













    Are you thinking of Gateway by Frederick Pohl?



    Gateway is a space station built into a hollow asteroid constructed by the Heechee, a long-vanished alien race. Humans have had limited success understanding Heechee technology found there and elsewhere in the solar system.



    The main character is Robinette Stetley Broadhead — known as Robin, Rob, Robbie, or Bob, depending on circumstances and his state of mind. He is a young food shale miner on Earth who wins a lottery, giving him just enough money to purchase a one-way ticket to Gateway.



    He develops a relationship with a woman named Klara who works on the space station.



    When the ships arrive, their crews find to their horror that they are in the gravitational grip of a black hole without enough power to break free. The crews devise a desperate escape plan: Move everyone into one ship and eject the other toward the black hole, thus gaining enough of a boost to escape. Working frantically to transfer unnecessary equipment to make room, Broadhead finds himself alone in the wrong ship when time runs out. He closes the hatch so that the plan can proceed. By chance, his ship is the one that breaks free, leaving the rest of the crew falling into the black hole.



    Broadhead returns to Gateway and receives the entire bonus. He feels enormous survivor guilt for leaving his crewmates, especially Klara, and is unsure whether he intended to sacrifice himself or the others.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Apr 12 at 3:44









    RichSRichS

    18.9k17102261




    18.9k17102261








    • 2





      THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

      – Tom
      Apr 12 at 3:59
















    • 2





      THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

      – Tom
      Apr 12 at 3:59










    2




    2





    THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

    – Tom
    Apr 12 at 3:59







    THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gateway by Frederick Pohl. I am amazed at how the story has altered in my mind, and I have misremembered so much of it. The ship is not visibly falling into the black hole, of course, but his AI therapist brings this to his attention. Thanks again, Im very grateful.

    – Tom
    Apr 12 at 3:59















    16














    Sounds a lot like Poul Anderson's short story "Kyrie", which was the (unaccepted) answer to this old question. Does any of these covers look familiar?




    He had not really understood what it would mean to confront something so violent that space and time themselves were twisted thereby.

    His speed increased appallingly. That was in his own measure; from Raven they saw him fall through several days. The properties of matter were changed. He could not push hard enough or fast enough to escape.

    Radiation, stripped nuclei, particles born and destroyed and born again, sleeted and shouted through him. His substance was peeled away, layer by layer.The supernova core was a white delirium before him. It shrank as he approached, ever smaller, denser, so brilliant that brilliance ceased to have meaning. Finally the gravitational forces laid their full grip upon him.

    —Eloise! he shrieked in the agony of his disintegration—Oh, Eloise, help me!

    The star swallowed him up. He was stretched infinitely long, compressed infinitely thin, and vanished from existence.

    [. . . .]

    Szili made soothing noises and left. In the corridor he encountered Mazundar. "How is she?" the physicist asked. The captain scowled. "Not good. I hope she doesn't crack entirely before we can get her to a psychiatrist."

    "Why, what is wrong?"

    "She thinks she can hear him."

    Szili braced himself and waited.

    "She does," Mazundar said. "Obviously she does."

    "But that's impossible! He's dead!"

    "Remember the time dilation," Mazundar replied. "He fell from the sky and perished swiftly, yes. But in supernova time. Not the same as ours. To us, the final stellar collapse takes an infinite number of years. And telepathy has no distance limits." The physicist started walking fast away from that cabin. "He will always be with her."







    share|improve this answer






























      16














      Sounds a lot like Poul Anderson's short story "Kyrie", which was the (unaccepted) answer to this old question. Does any of these covers look familiar?




      He had not really understood what it would mean to confront something so violent that space and time themselves were twisted thereby.

      His speed increased appallingly. That was in his own measure; from Raven they saw him fall through several days. The properties of matter were changed. He could not push hard enough or fast enough to escape.

      Radiation, stripped nuclei, particles born and destroyed and born again, sleeted and shouted through him. His substance was peeled away, layer by layer.The supernova core was a white delirium before him. It shrank as he approached, ever smaller, denser, so brilliant that brilliance ceased to have meaning. Finally the gravitational forces laid their full grip upon him.

      —Eloise! he shrieked in the agony of his disintegration—Oh, Eloise, help me!

      The star swallowed him up. He was stretched infinitely long, compressed infinitely thin, and vanished from existence.

      [. . . .]

      Szili made soothing noises and left. In the corridor he encountered Mazundar. "How is she?" the physicist asked. The captain scowled. "Not good. I hope she doesn't crack entirely before we can get her to a psychiatrist."

      "Why, what is wrong?"

      "She thinks she can hear him."

      Szili braced himself and waited.

      "She does," Mazundar said. "Obviously she does."

      "But that's impossible! He's dead!"

      "Remember the time dilation," Mazundar replied. "He fell from the sky and perished swiftly, yes. But in supernova time. Not the same as ours. To us, the final stellar collapse takes an infinite number of years. And telepathy has no distance limits." The physicist started walking fast away from that cabin. "He will always be with her."







      share|improve this answer




























        16












        16








        16







        Sounds a lot like Poul Anderson's short story "Kyrie", which was the (unaccepted) answer to this old question. Does any of these covers look familiar?




        He had not really understood what it would mean to confront something so violent that space and time themselves were twisted thereby.

        His speed increased appallingly. That was in his own measure; from Raven they saw him fall through several days. The properties of matter were changed. He could not push hard enough or fast enough to escape.

        Radiation, stripped nuclei, particles born and destroyed and born again, sleeted and shouted through him. His substance was peeled away, layer by layer.The supernova core was a white delirium before him. It shrank as he approached, ever smaller, denser, so brilliant that brilliance ceased to have meaning. Finally the gravitational forces laid their full grip upon him.

        —Eloise! he shrieked in the agony of his disintegration—Oh, Eloise, help me!

        The star swallowed him up. He was stretched infinitely long, compressed infinitely thin, and vanished from existence.

        [. . . .]

        Szili made soothing noises and left. In the corridor he encountered Mazundar. "How is she?" the physicist asked. The captain scowled. "Not good. I hope she doesn't crack entirely before we can get her to a psychiatrist."

        "Why, what is wrong?"

        "She thinks she can hear him."

        Szili braced himself and waited.

        "She does," Mazundar said. "Obviously she does."

        "But that's impossible! He's dead!"

        "Remember the time dilation," Mazundar replied. "He fell from the sky and perished swiftly, yes. But in supernova time. Not the same as ours. To us, the final stellar collapse takes an infinite number of years. And telepathy has no distance limits." The physicist started walking fast away from that cabin. "He will always be with her."







        share|improve this answer















        Sounds a lot like Poul Anderson's short story "Kyrie", which was the (unaccepted) answer to this old question. Does any of these covers look familiar?




        He had not really understood what it would mean to confront something so violent that space and time themselves were twisted thereby.

        His speed increased appallingly. That was in his own measure; from Raven they saw him fall through several days. The properties of matter were changed. He could not push hard enough or fast enough to escape.

        Radiation, stripped nuclei, particles born and destroyed and born again, sleeted and shouted through him. His substance was peeled away, layer by layer.The supernova core was a white delirium before him. It shrank as he approached, ever smaller, denser, so brilliant that brilliance ceased to have meaning. Finally the gravitational forces laid their full grip upon him.

        —Eloise! he shrieked in the agony of his disintegration—Oh, Eloise, help me!

        The star swallowed him up. He was stretched infinitely long, compressed infinitely thin, and vanished from existence.

        [. . . .]

        Szili made soothing noises and left. In the corridor he encountered Mazundar. "How is she?" the physicist asked. The captain scowled. "Not good. I hope she doesn't crack entirely before we can get her to a psychiatrist."

        "Why, what is wrong?"

        "She thinks she can hear him."

        Szili braced himself and waited.

        "She does," Mazundar said. "Obviously she does."

        "But that's impossible! He's dead!"

        "Remember the time dilation," Mazundar replied. "He fell from the sky and perished swiftly, yes. But in supernova time. Not the same as ours. To us, the final stellar collapse takes an infinite number of years. And telepathy has no distance limits." The physicist started walking fast away from that cabin. "He will always be with her."








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        edited Apr 12 at 4:17

























        answered Apr 12 at 4:00









        user14111user14111

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