Half Around Pluto

In Short

Set on the desolate, airless surface of Pluto, this story follows Lieutenant Wofforth, a wounded officer left behind after a shipwreck, as he makes a grueling ten-thousand-mile journey to reach Base Camp. Accompanied by two bickering crewmen, Wofforth battles mechanical failure, starvation, and the psychological decay of isolation. It is a classic survival narrative that strips away the grandeur of space travel to focus on the raw, often ugly tenacity of the human spirit. Its enduring power lies in its unflinching portrayal of how obsession and duty can sustain a person—or blind them to reality.

The Story

The story opens in the wreckage of a scout rocket on the surface of Pluto. Lieutenant Wofforth, severely injured, regains consciousness to find his two crewmen, Jenks and Corbett, have fashioned a makeshift sled from debris. They inform him that the main expedition has already departed for Earth, assuming the scout ship was lost. Despite the hopelessness of their situation, Wofforth is determined to reach the distant Base Camp, convinced that supplies have been left behind and that he must hold his post.

As the trio begins their journey, the vast, frozen landscape of Pluto dictates their pace; they can only travel during the brief, dim daylight. Wofforth tracks their progress in a logbook, using the entries to maintain a facade of order and optimism. Beneath this, his men grow increasingly cynical, recognizing that Wofforth’s fixation on the journey is driven by his longing for the first mate, Lya Stromminger, who commanded the ship that left them behind.

As the days pass, supplies dwindle and the atmosphere within their small, foil tent becomes toxic. The men’s morale collapses into bitter infighting. When a trivial argument escalates, Jenks kills Corbett in a shootout that tears the tent open. Wofforth narrowly manages to don his suit before the air escapes, leaving him the sole survivor. He buries his companions in a shallow, frozen grave and abandons all excess cargo to make the sled lighter, obsessed with the idea that he must reach the base to be found "brave and clean-shaven" for the woman he loves.

Wofforth pushes the sled to dangerous speeds, covering thousands of miles in the final days. When he arrives at the crater-strewn perimeter of the base, he realizes the sled cannot traverse the jagged terrain. In a final, desperate gambit, he uses the momentum of the sled to "slingshot" around the interior of a massive crater, barely clearing the far wall. He reaches the base only to find the airlock sealed. Just as he loses consciousness, convinced he is dying, the door opens. He finds Lya Stromminger inside; she never left, having stayed behind with the conviction that he would survive. She explains that they can harness the planet’s internal volcanic heat to survive until a rescue expedition arrives, turning their twenty-year wait into a shared life.

How It Unfolds

The wreckage remains The story begins with the construction of a sled from the remnants of a crashed rocket. Wofforth is injured and reeling from the news that his primary transport has abandoned him.

The journey begins The three men travel across the vast, frozen plains of Pluto, governed by the lethal cycle of freezing nights and brief days. Wofforth maintains a rigid, officer-like discipline in his logbook, while his men begin to crack under the strain of their impending deaths.

The internal collapse Tensions reach a breaking point inside the cramped survival tent. The resulting violence leaves Wofforth alone, forcing him to continue the mission as a sole, desperate traveler.

The final maneuver Wofforth attempts a high-speed, suicidal crossing of a massive crater to reach his goal. He succeeds through sheer grit, only to find the base entrance locked against him.

The reunion Wofforth reaches the end of his tether at the base lock, only to be saved by Lya Stromminger. The story concludes with the revelation that they will survive together, changing the nature of his mission from a lonely death to a shared, long-term existence.

The People

Lieutenant Wofforth is a man defined by his sense of duty and a secret, romantic obsession. He is wounded, both physically and emotionally, and uses his rank and the mission to Base Camp as a shield against the reality of his abandonment. By the end, his single-mindedness shifts from a desperate attempt at a noble death into the foundation for a new, shared reality.

Jenks and Corbett serve as the grumbling, pessimistic foils to Wofforth’s idealism. Jenks is the smaller, more volatile schemer, while Corbett is the "meaty" brute who sees through Wofforth’s facade. They represent the realistic, cynical response to their situation, and their eventual turn toward violence highlights the fragility of the social order when stripped of everything but cold, dark rock.

Lya Stromminger appears only at the conclusion, serving as the catalyst for Wofforth’s transformation. Her presence reframes the entire narrative; she is not the object of a tragic, unrequited love, but an active participant who made her own choice to stay, proving to be just as resilient as the man she waited for.

In Its Own Voice

The setting is described with stark, unforgiving clarity:

Pluto was a coffin world, airless, utterly cold.

Wofforth’s internal state, as he faces the reality of his companions' deaths, is mirrored in the landscape:

In a year, there would be no mark here to show that the surface had been disturbed.

The moment he realizes his survival depends on Lya is captured in their first exchange:

"You're back," said a voice he knew, a voice strained with wonder.

What It's Really About

The book explores the psychology of isolation and the human tendency to project meaning onto a hostile, indifferent universe. Wofforth’s journey is not merely a physical trek across a frozen wasteland; it is a desperate attempt to maintain his identity and his worth in the eyes of a woman he loves. The "internal fires" of the planet, which Lya reveals at the end, serve as a metaphor for the resources humans carry within themselves. The book argues that survival requires more than just oxygen and heat; it requires an anchor—a reason to keep going—even when the external conditions seem to demand surrender.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate "hard" science fiction that prioritizes atmosphere over high-tech gadgetry will find this story compelling. It reads with the urgency of a thriller, effectively capturing the claustrophobia of a space suit and the terrifying stillness of a dead world. Because it was written in 1958, there are certain period attitudes—particularly the rigid hierarchy of the crew and the nature of the male-female power dynamic—that may feel dated to modern readers. Additionally, the dialogue between the crewmen is quite stylized, filled with "tough-guy" vernacular that can occasionally feel jarring.

However, the core of the book—the sheer, visceral grit of the survival trek—remains effective. It is a quick read, but the images of the tiny, distant sun and the vast, black, frozen plains of Pluto stay with you long after the final page. If you are looking for a story about how people handle the absolute limits of their endurance, this compact, icy odyssey provides a sharp and memorable experience.