The First Spaceman by Gene L. Henderson Episode #417
Gene L. Henderson | September 6, 2025-
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The First Spaceman by Gene L. Henderson Episode #417
Gene L. Henderson
THE FIRST SPACEMAN
Episode #417 · Written by Gene L. Henderson · Narrated by Scott Miller
The world receives a simple ultimatum: surrender within twenty-four hours or face total destruction. Somewhere beyond Earth’s atmosphere, a massive alien fleet waits for the answer.
Humanity responds by launching a single rocket.
Inside sits Rogers, a young pilot tasked with an impossible mission. Armed with one atomic warhead and a great deal of confidence, he heads into space to confront an enemy force large enough to overwhelm any conventional defense. What follows is a chaotic battle fought among drifting wreckage, damaged instruments, and split-second decisions made far from the safety of Earth.
Rogers improvises constantly. When equipment fails, he builds new solutions from whatever remains inside the shattered rocket cabin. Each problem demands a quick answer, and every answer pushes him further into the unknown.
Yet defeating the enemy turns out to be only the beginning of the story. While Rogers struggles to guide his crippled craft back toward Earth, celebrations are already breaking out across the planet. Monuments are planned. Films are announced. The legend of the fallen hero spreads rapidly across the world.
There is just one complication. Rogers didn’t die.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gene L. Henderson published science fiction during the early 1950s. His work appeared in the magazine Startling Stories, one of the era’s major science fiction pulp publications.
The First Spaceman appeared in the February 1952 issue of Startling Stories. The story blends space adventure with satire, poking fun at military bureaucracy, hero worship, and the strange logic that sometimes governs grand political decisions.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to The First Spaceman by Gene L. Henderson — a vintage science fiction adventure where a lone pilot faces an alien fleet and returns to a very unexpected homecoming.
LOST VOICES OF VINTAGE SCI-FI
Not every science fiction writer built a long career in the field or became a widely recognized name. Some published only a handful of stories before disappearing from the magazines, leaving behind little biographical record and few surviving details. Others may be remembered for work in different genres, while their contribution to science fiction was brief.
Yet these writers helped shape the texture of the pulp era and beyond. Their stories experimented with bold ideas, filled the pages between the famous names, and added depth to the ever-expanding landscape of vintage science fiction.
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast exists in part to rediscover these voices. The stories below were written by authors who published briefly, sparingly, or whose science fiction output was small - but whose work still deserves to be heard.
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- Patch by William Shedenhelm
- Rabbits Have Long Ears by Lawrence F. Willard
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- When the Moon Fell by Morrison Colladay
- Know They Neighbor by Elisabeth R. Lewis
- The Other One by A. H. Gibson
- No Evidence by Victoria Lincoln
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- The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein
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- Leave Earthmen or Die by John Massie Davis
- And All the Girls Were Nude by Richard Magruder
- Rabbits Have Long Ears by Lawrence F. Willard
- Dust Unto Dust by Lyman D. Hinckley
- Cosmic Tragedy by Thomas S. Gardiner
- Day of Wrath by Bjarne Kirchhoff
- You Are Forbidden by Jerry Shelton
- Thirty Degrees Cattywonkus by James Bell
- The Small Bears by Gene L. Henderson
- The First Spaceman by Gene L. Henderson
ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 34 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 3.8 million listens.
Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.
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“Excellent Content. This is a terrific podcast. Vintage sci-fi short stories with a brief, informative introduction. The reader is excellent and doesn’t over-dramatize. Keep up the great work!”
— Missing61
Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
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