Project Gutenberg 2007-09-14 Public domain in the USA. 60 Harmon, Jim 1933 2010 Harmon, James Judson Measure for a Loner Produced from Amazing Science Fiction Stories March 1959. Reading ease score: 85.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Measure for a Loner" by Jim Harmon is a science fiction novella written during the mid-20th century. The narrative explores the psychological implications of loneliness in the context of space travel, particularly the necessity for a pilot who can withstand isolation in deep space. The story examines how contemporary society influences perceptions of loneliness and how finding a suitable astronaut amidst a well-conditioned populace proves to be a significant challenge. The plot centers around Dr. Thorn, a historical psychologist who is tasked with identifying a suitable candidate for piloting a groundbreaking interstellar spaceship, the "Evening Star." The government seeks a man who embodies true loneliness, one who can handle the solitude of space travel for extended periods. Thorn discovers two candidates: Gordon Meyverik, who has deliberately isolated himself on Seal Island to prepare for the mission, and Stan Johnson, who enjoys solitude for its own sake. As Thorn assesses their suitability, he grapples with the moral complexities of his task, culminating in a harrowing realization that both candidates may be unable to return from their mission due to governmental manipulation. Ultimately, the novella poses profound questions about loneliness and the human condition in an era where emotional suppression may come at a great cost. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction 55339 55340 2024-10-10T04:13:20.181101 2023-09-10T07:46:13.484036 text/html text/html 52150 2021-01-02T23:01:29 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 20467 2021-01-02T23:01:29 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 83640 2024-10-10T04:13:24.310100 application/epub+zip 82493 2024-10-10T04:13:21.928096 application/epub+zip 82494 2024-10-10T04:13:20.792127 application/epub+zip 176973 2024-10-10T04:13:26.032070 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 170023 2024-10-10T04:13:23.658364 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 145272 2022-09-10T14:03:25.746195 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 48651 48550 2024-10-10T04:13:19.876120 2023-09-10T07:46:13.281030 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 48463 2021-01-02T23:01:29 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19072 2021-01-02T23:01:29 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20305 2024-10-10T04:13:26.156056 application/rdf+xml 12738 2024-10-10T04:13:21.326125 image/jpeg 3528 2024-10-10T04:13:21.057095 image/jpeg 81594 2024-10-10T04:13:20.188137 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia