Smelly space travellers...

[Deaks]

"Hard" science fiction book I would have read in the 80s involving humans going on a prolonged space journey to a distant star. The trip would be at near-light speed, not FTL and take decades. However, due to time dilation etc.. when they arrive at their destination they find 100s of years have passed, and humans have already been there for years. This may have just been part of the book rather than the whole story.

The particular point I remember was that the more advanced humans found the earlier space travellers particularly smelly.

 

[hitmouse]

Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein covers this sort of thing and has space travellers being considered smelly by modern humans. Does not match exactly and may not be what you are looking for, but, you know.

 

[Deaks]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[otistdog]

Possibly "Far Centaurus" by A. E. van Vogt? A short story, but the outline and ending fit. It can be read online in the context of its original publication courtesy of the Internet Archive.

 

[PaulMmn]

Alan Dean Foster's universe has humans and the thranx sharing the space. Thranx are (pretty much) anthropomorphized preying mantises. One stingship crew, consisting of one each human and thranx, in the midst of battle were 'cursing' each other-- "Oh, squishy bug!" "Oh, smelly human!"
They were ship brothers, and everything was said without rancor.
From Ars Technica:
"Yep, that would be 'The Tar-Aiym Krang.' It was the private battle cry that Bran Tse Mallory and Truzenzuzex used when going into battle back when they were stingship pilots. Bran would yell 'up the universe, oh squishy bug!', and Truzenzuzex would reply 'up the universe, oh smelly primate!'<BR><BR>Excellent book and series."

 

[Deaks]

Ah! I used to read a lot of A. E. van Vogt so if that short story was in one of the books I read it's possibly it!

 

[Ravensquawk]

There are other of my favorites of Lightspeed Leapfrog stories, but I didn't remember any that I'd read referring to smelly people.

But it is there in Far Centaurus, lost in the haze of synapse firing long gone quiescent.

Blake shrugged. “I don’t fancy getting into one of those suits Cassellahat has provided for us, designed to keep our odor in, but not theirs out.”

Cassellahat turned at the door; there was a distinct frown on the flesh mask he wore. “You treat our government’s gift very’ lightly.”

“So we stink,” said Blake.

Time dilation was so interesting that B.O. that can't be as bad as some riders on our city buses got lost in the story.

 

[Deaks]

Pretty sure it is Far Centaurus as I read so much A. E. van Vogt around that time. I've just ordered his book Quest for the Future which features that short plus two other combined into a novel which is where I would have read it.

We had to downsize a few years ago and I had to get rid of all my books, magazines, records etc..

 

[farntfar]

The idea of later flights getting to a destination before earlier spaceships is certainly covered in the sequels to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
The smelliness idea rings a bell, but I can't be certain.

 

[Danny McG]

Definitely, as already stated, Far Centaurus.
The quote:-

"I must, however," Cassellahat went on, "give you a warning. It is important that you do not disillusion our peoples about yourselves. Therefore, you must never wander around the streets, or mingle with the crowds in any way. Always, your contact should be via newsreels, radio, or from the inside of a closed machine. If you have any plan to marry, you must now finally give up the idea."

"I don't get it!" Blake said wonderingly; and he spoke for us both.

Cassellahat finished firmly: "It is important that no one becomes aware that you have an offensive physical odor. It might damage your financial prospects considerably.