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"Ordeal in Space" is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, [1] originally published in Town & Country , May 1948. It is one of Heinlein's Future History stories, and appears in his collection The Green Hills of Earth .
A spaceship's crewman is called to repair an antenna while his ship is still underpinned. He is unable to hold on, despite supreme effort; he drifts away from the ship and has far too much time to ponder things. When he returns to Earth, he is unable to work as a spaceman for has fear of heights. After living in fear and sadness for a time, he must face his troubles while rescuing a kitten stuck on the 35th-floor ledge of a building.
Heinlein includes a variant verse to the hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save , dedicated "to those who venture into space," in the story. Originally titled "Broken Wings", the story was rejected by The Saturday Evening Post . A reading of this story was broadcast on BBC Radio 7 on July 14, 2007.
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