Islands in the Sky: Bold New Ideas for Colonizing Space Paperback - 1996 - 1st Edition

First line

In spite of crashes, politics, budget battles, and opposition from today's version .of Jules Verne's Baltimore Gun Club, we're on the verge of having inexpensive, reliable, and responsive single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceships like the Delta Clipper DC-Y described in Dr. Arlan Andrews's science-fact article in the June 1993 issue.

From the rear cover

"Let the meek inherit the earth--the rest of us are going to the stars! Here's how it's going to be done." -- Robert Zubrin

"These articles are not 'just science fiction.' They are things we can do--and with any luck at all, and vision and determination, we will." -- Stanley Schmidt

Take off on a thrilling journey of space exploration and speculation--to the realm where science fiction becomes science fact--as leading writers, researchers, and astronautic engineers describe a not-too-distant future of interstellar travel and colonization. From cable cars that ride "skyhooks" into space to rockets that can refuel out of Martian air, from "terraforming" planets (a process that makes them habitable for human life) to faster-than-light propulsion systems, Islands in the Sky offers an astonishing collection of challenging--and plausible--ideas and proposals from the pages of Analog magazine. Brilliant and provocative, here is fun-filled reading for everyone interested in science, technology, and the future.