Michael Shea is a character in Isaac Asimov's science-fiction short stories "Marooned off Vesta" and "Anniversary".
About Michael[]
Michael "Mike" Shea is one of three crewmen who survive the catastrophic disabling of the starliner Silver Queen and the subsequent ordeal in orbit about the asteroid 4 Vesta.
Shea is described as a young and somewhat excitable crewman. When Silver Queen is destroyed in the asteroid belt, he survives in a sealed section of the wreck together with Mark Brandon and Warren Moore. The three men are left with limited air and food, a single spacesuit, and a plentiful supply of water but no propulsion. In the early stages Shea reacts with fear and discouragement, doubting that they can live long enough to be found. He eventually follows Brandon's leadership and assists in the plan to vent water from the ship to create thrust. The maneuver works, altering their orbit toward Vesta and allowing rescue.
Two decades later, Shea reunites with Brandon and Moore at a public dinner commemorating the disaster. His manner is lighter and more humorous than that of his companions, and he provides much of the casual talk at the table. He listens with surprise when Moore reveals that he had kept the prototype anopticon, a forgotten device from the wreck, whose rediscovery gives new importance to their long-past ordeal.
Appearances[]
- Marooned off Vesta (Amazing Stories, March 1939)
- Anniversary (Amazing Stories, March 1959)