# Identify yet another SF story

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 3, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172 "2013-02-03T00:57:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172/1 "2013-02-03T00:57:13Z")

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For an acquaintance:

A shiny helmet was found on an archaelogical dig and based on the theory that cave paintings depicting aliens/ufos are correct, a spaceship is sent out to find them. The years pass and I can’t even remember if they are successful, I think I can remember a big row if they should abandon the mission and return to Earth. Eventually they return to Earth and the ending is rather sad, as a lot more time has passed on Earth, so they aren’t welcomed as heroes, merely as relics from a distant past.

Time to correct answer starts…now

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**Author:** ![midnight-dreary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@midnight-dreary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/midnight-dreary)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172/2 "2013-02-03T13:13:12Z")

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Is it a short story? I think I remember reading something like that. Did something go wrong which sparked the fight about abandoning the mission?

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**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172/3 "2013-02-06T05:55:12Z")

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No additional info–it’s not my memory, I’m asking for someone else. Is the the longest a “what’s this story” has gone un-answered?!?

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-yet-another-sf-story/649172/4 "2013-02-06T14:04:40Z")

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Ask the acquaintance for more information. In what year did they read it? Was it in a magazine? Which magazine and how old was it? Was it in a book? How old was the book and was it hardback or paperback? What was on the cover of the book? Did they buy the book or borrow it from a liberary? Where did they read this book? How old were they when they read it?