Space Jockey

Space Jockey is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein.

One of Heinlein's most realistic and emotionally gripping tales, this companion to It's Great to Be Back! is about a spaceship pilot whose wife worries for his safety.

Space Jockeys are either the first victims of, or the creators of the Xenomorphs from the Alien movies and games that once rule the universe. First shown in the original Alien movie as a giant humanoid sitting in front of a telescope-like device, the cargo hold of the Space Jockey's ship was filled with eggs, held in stasis, of Xenomorph facehuggers, the first stage in the Xenomorph life cycle. They have made appearances in various Dark Horse Comics publications on Aliens.