Project Gutenberg 2020-12-30 Public domain in the USA. 222 Bradbury, Ray 1920 2012 Elliott, William Bradbury, Raymond Douglas Sterling, Brett Rocket Summer Produced from Planet Stories Spring 1947 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Rocket Summer" by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story that encapsulates the tension between progress and responsibility, written during the mid-20th century. The narrative centers around the impending launch of the first rocket to the Moon, which is met with both excitement and dread, highlighting the societal consequences of technological advancements. The story follows William Stanley, the president of the company overseeing the rocket launch, as he grapples with the implications of sending humanity into space. While the public eagerly anticipates the event, Stanley is haunted by the potential dangers and moral ramifications that such a leap may bring. Tension escalates as workers and the crowd demand the rocket's launch, leading Stanley to face personal and ethical dilemmas about the purpose and timing of such human endeavors. Ultimately, when the rocket returns, it carries a grim reality of disease and despair instead of triumph, forcing Stanley to confront the dark consequences of human ambition. The narrative serves as a cautionary tale about unchecked scientific progress and its impact on society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Space flight to the moon -- Fiction Space ships -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: American Literature 54896 2025-07-25T10:50:14.905574 text/html 31275 2024-10-18T09:29:09 text/html 594189 2025-07-25T10:50:16.903544 application/epub+zip 592999 2025-07-25T10:50:15.446613 application/epub+zip 87870 2025-07-25T10:50:15.128555 application/epub+zip 630754 2025-07-25T10:50:18.135547 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 622938 2025-07-25T10:50:16.664541 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 118118 2022-09-28T21:54:23.334770 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 48092 2025-07-25T10:50:14.756559 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 28326 2024-10-18T09:29:09 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17261 2025-07-25T10:50:18.267537 application/rdf+xml 31930 2025-07-25T10:50:15.238548 image/jpeg 5251 2025-07-25T10:50:15.183563 image/jpeg 567631 2025-07-25T10:50:14.925599 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