"Thanasphere" is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...

, first published on 2 September 1952 in Collier's weekly

Collier's Weekly

Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....

, and later in Bagombo Snuff Box

Bagombo Snuff Box

Bagombo Snuff Box is an assortment of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut published in 1999. The book contains previously published, but uncollected short fiction that did not appear in Vonnegut's previous collection, Welcome to the Monkey House...

in 1999.

The story is set at the dawn of space exploration, where a military experiment led by Dr. Groszinger, who supervises the launch of the firs human being into space, Major Allen Rice. Rice is launched into orbit around Earth to observe weather conditions over enemy territories, but Rice soon starts receiving messages from dead people, whose spirits inhabit the atmosphere. Thinking Rice has lost his mind, the military calls off the project, and Dr. Groszinger himself is forced to deny that they sent a man into space.