"Breaking Strain", also known as "Thirty Seconds - Thirty Days", is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

. It was adapted into a movie in 1994 under the title ''Trapped in Space''.

Plot summary

This shipwreck survival drama involves a space freighter on Earth/Venus run. A meteor hit during the middle of the voyage has drained most on-board

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

supplies. The two crew members (Grant and McNeil) realize they will not have enough oxygen for the two of them to complete the trip. The two crew members live a few days in exclusion from each other, independently considering plans for survival. The story is primarily told from Grant's perspective (the ship's captain), who becomes frustrated with McNeil's apparent inconsiderate behavior. Eventually Grant realizes that there is enough oxygen on board for one crew member to finish the trip. He struggles with the idea of deciding who will live or die, though all the while believes he has more to live for than his seemingly selfish partner. As he becomes more and more frustrated with his crewmate, he decides to poison McNeil in order to save himself. Grant poisons McNeil's drink and sits down to a meal with him, waiting for him to die. However, McNeil reveals that he foresaw the murder and replaced the ship's poison with a bitter

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, so that he could detect its presence if Grant tried to use it. McNeil confronts Grant on the subject of suicide and the two men concur that an agreement must be made—and that a message to Venus sent on ahead beforehand to validate their actions—deciding who will suicide so that the other live. The short story ends with a retrospective retelling of the decision process by McNeil (the survivor), who is rescued after being alone aboard his space freighter for three weeks.

Reception

Groff Conklin Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvement ...

in 1954 said that "Breaking Strain" was "shockingly tragic".

Influence

The ship in "Breaking Strain" shares several similarities with ''

Discovery One The United States Spacecraft ''Discovery'' is a fictional spacecraft appearing in the ''Space Odyssey'' series by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The ship is a nuclear-powered interplanetary spaceship, crewed by two men and controlled by ...

'' in the 1968 film and Clarke's 1968 novel, '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''. Both ships have a spherical command module which is located a great distance away from the nuclear powered engines of the ship, connected by a long spine. The story was the inspiration for ''Breaking Strain'', the first novel in the '' Venus Prime'' series by Paul Preuss.

Publication

"Breaking Strain" was included in Clarke's 1953 anthology, ''

Expedition to Earth ''Expedition to Earth'' () is a collection of science fiction short story, short stories by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, Arthur C. Clarke. There are at least two variants of this book's table of contents, in different editions of the boo ...

'', and in his 1983 anthology, '' The Sentinel''.

References

External links