We have good news from Baen Books: They are reprinting Going Interstellar in trade paper format this fall. The idea for the book came from Les Johnson, a NASA executive who has developed a special interest in solar sails. It was an approach to space travel I was always doubtful about until Les explained how it could be made to work.
True to its title, Going Interstellar examines solar sails and several other possible methods we might employ in both stories and articles if we actually want to get to the stars. No FTL or warp drives here. The book contains scientific projections of various possibilities by physicists Gregory Matloff and Richard Obousy, as well as Les, all of whom have specialized in the topic. Stories have also been contributed by Les, Ben Bova, Charles E. Gannon, Louise Marley, Michael Bishop, Sara A. Hoyt, and Mike Resnick. And me.
As co-editor, I am of course not objective about the collection. Nevertheless I can’t avoid mentioning that the fiction is compelling. What might it really be like to board an interstellar vehicle on a mission to a nearby star that will take years or decades? That some of us would realize, going out, that we would not live long enough to return? And what would it feel like to actually visit another star?
Release date is set at September 7.
Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Interstellar-Johnson/dp/1982125616/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
