Nearly forty years passed between the Apollo moon landings, the grandest accomplishment of a government-run space program, and the Ansari X PRIZE-winning flights of SpaceShipOne, the greatest achievement of a private space program. Now, as we hover on the threshold of commercial spaceflight, authors Chris Dubbs and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom look back at how we got to this point.

Their book traces the lives of the individuals who shared the dream that private individuals and private enterprise belong in space. Realizing Tomorrow provides a behind-the-scenes look at the visionaries, the crackpots, the financial schemes, the legal wrangling, the turf battles, and—underpinning the entire drama—the overwhelming desire of ordinary people to visit outer space.

 

A compelling story of the pioneers of commercial spaceflight—both American and Soviet/Russian—and their efforts to open the final frontier to everyone, this book traces the path to private spaceflight even as it offers an instructive, entertaining, and cautionary note about its future.

Chris Dubbs is the author of Space Dogs: Pioneers of Space Travel and the coauthor (with Colin Burgess) of Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle. Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom is the vice president of programs and curriculum at Singularity University based at NASA Ames Research Park. She is also partner and consultant for International Space Consultants and worked for clients such as Odyssey Moon Limited, Space Adventures Ltd., and International Space University. Charles D. Walker was a crew member on Space Shuttle missions 41-D, 51-D, and 61-B.

"Tighten your seat belt for a wonderful ride of a read that tells the incredible tale of the dedicated people who helped push the throttle forward to make private space travel reality."—Leonard David, Coalition for Space Exploration

"With the conclusion of the space shuttle program impending, the topic of private spaceflight has never been timelier. . . . This far-reaching, well-illustrated history oriented toward the future of spaceflight should catch many an eye."—Colleen Mondor, Booklist

“Many books have been written about the history of spaceflight, documenting the efforts to enter space ‘for all mankind.’ Realizing Tomorrow offers the first comprehensive history of what will be the future of spaceflight—‘by all mankind.’”—Robert Pearlman, editor and founder of collectSPACE.com

“Brimming with fascinating details—and never-before-told stories—Realizing Tomorrow is a riveting account of the growth of commercial space. It is required reading for anyone who wants to know how a group of visionaries overcame great obstacles to pioneer the final frontier for profit.”—Douglas Messier, editor in chief of Parabolicarc.com

“Realizing Tomorrow is the compelling story of the pioneers of commercial spaceflight and their efforts to open up the final frontier to everyone.”—Jeff Foust, editor and publisher of the Space Review