Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

The spread of humanity into the Solar System is a practical possibility for the next few decades, beginning with the reusable launch vehicles being developed right now by SpaceX and others. Once that first step is economical, private companies will disrupt space using technologies that are available right now. With generic tools, and engineers who know how to use them, they will build ships and stations from the materials they find in space. This book shows how that might be, with illustrations and technical details for everything they build. It is a 'science-of' book, laying out the technical assumptions and the scenario behind my novels. Like them, it uses real-world science and feasible technology, avoiding all the fantasy elements that have crept into much science fiction. The book also provide illustrations and resources which other authors could use in writing their own science-based space fiction. (I recommend this Lulu edition - it has better paper and a title on the spine)