Mass human migrations into outer space may begin this century! Are Earth’s inhabitants prepared for this next giant leap? Millions of tax dollars are being employed in NASA and Defense Department research facilities to answer this urgent question.
Can humankind migrate to space intelligently, in a civilized manner without real Star Wars? Are these justifiable economic, political, and philosophical reasons for undertaking such a vast project? What legal and institutional implications will surface in distinguishing Earthkind from Spacekind? The immediate and long-range effects of space migration—on earth and its inhabitants, on the solar system and its pioneers—are brought into sharp focus here, within the perspective of the heated debates now taking place in the highest government, scientific, business, and academic circles.
From the development of the space shuttle Enterprise and the uses and objectives of the Space Transportation System to the U.S. and Soviet space arsenals of hunter-killer satellites and Fractional Orbit Bombardment Systems (FOBS)—all known aspects of space migration and colonization are examined and presented with a depth and clarity appreciated by laymen, popular scientist, and aerospace engineer alike.