Project Gutenberg 2023-09-13 Public domain in the USA. 93 Del Rey, Lester 1915 1993 Rey, Lester del Knapp, Leonard Schoenherr, John 1935 2010 Schoenherr, Jack Schoenherr, John (John Carl) The band played on $aNew York, NY :$bRoyal Publications, Inc., $c1957. Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Band Played On" by LESTER DEL REY is a science fiction novella published in the late 20th century. The story revolves around the life of a space garbage man named Captain Thomas Murdock, exploring themes of heroism, duty, and the often overlooked importance of menial tasks in the grand context of space exploration. Del Rey's narrative provides a unique twist on the traditional space adventure by emphasizing the significance of seemingly mundane jobs in sustaining the larger operations of space travel. The plot follows Murdock as he grapples with his identity and role as the 'garbage man' for a space station, contrasting his work with the more celebrated tasks of heroic pilots. When an emergency arises in the space station due to toxic air, Murdock’s experience and knowledge become crucial. He volunteers for a dangerous mission to deliver necessary filters, proving that every role, no matter how unglamorous, holds immense value. The narrative culminates in a perilous return leg where Murdock navigates a perilous descent amidst a storm, ultimately leading to his recognition as a hero, albeit reluctantly. The story invites readers to consider the unseen contributions of those who maintain the systems that enable grand adventures, making it both an engaging and thought-provoking read. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20230812085526delrey 1957 US Reading ease score: 82.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Man-woman relationships -- Fiction Astronauts -- Fiction Hurricanes -- Fiction Space stations -- Fiction Farms -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 100042 2025-06-28T09:56:55.365275 text/html 96818 2023-09-12T23:49:14 text/html 690523 2025-06-28T09:56:59.343760 application/epub+zip 690572 2025-06-28T09:56:57.059770 application/epub+zip 367284 2025-06-28T09:56:56.058335 application/epub+zip 1524546 2025-06-28T09:57:00.907761 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1516777 2025-06-28T09:56:58.686854 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 89805 2025-06-28T09:56:55.170328 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 89826 2023-09-12T23:49:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19080 2025-06-28T09:57:01.039744 application/rdf+xml 29215 2025-06-28T09:56:56.467765 image/jpeg 4902 2025-06-28T09:56:56.262764 image/jpeg 2548847 2023-09-12T23:49:14 application/octet-stream application/zip 2553095 2025-06-28T09:56:55.400314 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 More titles under McCann, Edson en.wikipedia en.wikipedia