Project Gutenberg 2019-03-08 Public domain in the USA. 103 Fritch, Charles E. 1927 2012 Summers, Leo 1925 1985 Summers, L.R. Summers, L. R. Summers, Leo Ramon The Big Leap Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, February 1955 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Big Leap" by Charles E. Fritch is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The book explores the psychological and existential themes surrounding space exploration, focusing on the character of Cantrell, who is preparing for a pivotal journey to the moon. The narrative dives into the complexities of human psychology when faced with the vast uncertainties of space, particularly the fear of the unknown. In the story, Cantrell is an astronaut grappling with his aversion to animals, shaped by a childhood trauma from a dog attack. As he embarks on a groundbreaking mission to the moon, he confronts not only the physical challenges of space travel but also the psychological demons that accompany him. During his flight, he experiences a bizarre transformation when he perceives Earth as a living creature, and he ultimately rejects the reality of being a parasite on this "space-animal." His mental unraveling raises questions about perception, sanity, and the nature of existence, as those left behind must confront the implications of his revelations. The narrative culminates in a powerful exploration of the limits of human understanding in the grand scale of the universe. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 84.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Psychological fiction Space flight to the moon -- Fiction Astronauts -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Psychiatry/Psychology 49318 2025-07-23T11:39:26.622354 text/html 45680 2019-03-08T09:16:30 text/html 254907 2025-07-23T11:39:28.254326 application/epub+zip 253758 2025-07-23T11:39:26.979325 application/epub+zip 77439 2025-07-23T11:39:26.774326 application/epub+zip 288812 2025-07-23T11:39:29.399345 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 281553 2025-07-23T11:39:28.058344 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 105517 2022-09-26T19:41:48.920269 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 42582 2025-07-23T11:39:26.517340 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42817 2019-03-08T09:16:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19885 2025-07-23T11:39:29.524326 application/rdf+xml 29930 2025-07-23T11:39:26.853321 image/jpeg 5508 2025-07-23T11:39:26.813337 image/jpeg 441742 2019-03-08T09:16:30 application/octet-stream application/zip 16453 2019-03-08T09:16:30 application/octet-stream application/zip 443829 2025-07-23T11:39:26.635317 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 en.wikipedia