Project Gutenberg 2009-12-11 Public domain in the USA. 115 Bartholomew, Stephen Schelling, George 1938 Schelling, George Luther Schelling, George L. Schelling Last Resort Produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction April 1963. Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Last Resort" by Stephen Bartholomew is a science fiction novella written during the early 1960s. The narrative revolves around the psychological and existential challenges faced by an astronaut stranded in space due to an unexpected hull leak in his spacecraft. As he grapples with diminishing oxygen and the threat of his own mortality, the story delves into themes of human resilience, the limits of science, and the potential of the mind to overcome dire situations. The plot centers on an unnamed astronaut who, after discovering a slow leak in his spacecraft, faces an impending death from asphyxiation and isolation. As he reflects on his life, particularly his loved ones, he is confronted with the choice to take an experimental drug known as LRXD, which promises to enhance mental capacity but carries the risk of severe side effects. The drug induces intense hallucinations and heightened awareness, granting him a profound new perspective on his predicament. Ultimately, he discovers that through an unexpected psychic connection, he is able to stop the leak with the power of his mind, leading to unforeseen consequences for both him and the future of space research. The story concludes with the intrigue surrounding his newfound abilities and their implications for humanity’s understanding of consciousness and the universe. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.9 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 48991 2025-07-12T12:51:25.300364 text/html 45189 2021-01-05T22:39:06 text/html 186321 2025-07-12T12:51:28.855368 application/epub+zip 185119 2025-07-12T12:51:26.830385 application/epub+zip 85896 2025-07-12T12:51:25.839353 application/epub+zip 265369 2025-07-12T12:51:30.359329 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 258644 2025-07-12T12:51:28.276359 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 126458 2022-09-14T07:33:41.968834 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 42553 2025-07-12T12:51:25.061359 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42433 2021-01-05T22:39:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19311 2025-07-12T12:51:30.489331 application/rdf+xml 12548 2025-07-12T12:51:26.317352 image/jpeg 3379 2025-07-12T12:51:26.076375 image/jpeg 114775 2021-01-05T22:39:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 16519 2021-01-05T22:39:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 181389 2025-07-12T12:51:25.308400 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog