Large space colonies may be miles in extent. Courtesy Don Davis (from Chapter 10). Toward Distant Suns
Complete online book by T. A. Heppenheimer
]Although this 1979 book contains much out-of-date material and many predictions that didn’t pan out, numerous plums remain. The main highlight can be found in Chapter 8, Paths of Commerce, which nicely stands on its own. Developing a space commerce is essential to space settlement, and Heppenheimer’s clear outline of one way this can be done provides insight into what could be accomplished if we just get rolling.
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 – The Planetary Hang-Up
Chapter 2 – The Terrestrial Hang-Up
Chapter 3 – Space Colonization Soon?
Chapter 4 – Energy, at Leisure
Chapter 5 – The Sweet Combination
Chapter 6 – Large Space Structures
Chapter 7 – Robots and Other Space Workers
Chapter 8 – Paths of Commerce
Chapter 9 – The Orbiting Bureaucracy
Chapter 10 – Lovers, Colonists, and Explorers
Chapter 11 – The Fermi Paradox
Chapter 12 – An Interstellar Hang-Up?
Chapter 13 – Perspectives on the Future
Bibliography
Copyright 1979, 2007 by T. A. Heppenheimer