Mission: Tomorrow - eARC

NEW STORIES OF THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION. Original anthology of stories about near-future space exploration from top authors. Includes stories by Jack McDevitt, Michael F. Flynn, Sarah A. Hoyt, Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, and many more.

In Mission: Tomorrow, science fiction writers imagine the future of space exploration with NASA no longer dominant. Will private companies rule the stars or will new governments take up the call? From Brazilians to Russians to Chinese, the characters in these stories deal with everything from strange encounters, to troubled satellites and space ships, to competition for funding and getting there first. Nineteen stories of what-if spanning the gamut from Mercury to Pluto and beyond, assembled by critically praised editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

Cover Art by Stephan Martiniere

Paperback

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, November 2015

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1-4767-8094-8

Copyright 2015 by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

Introduction © 2015 by Bryan Thomas Schmidt; “Tombaugh Station” © 2015 by Robin Wayne Bailey; “Excalibur” © 2015 by Cryptic, Inc.; “The Race For Arcadia” © 2015 by Alex Shvartsman; “A Walkabout Amongst The Stars” © 2015 by Lezli Robyn; “Sunrise On Mercury” © 1957, 1985 by Agberg Inc. First published in Science Fiction Stories, May 1957; “In Panic Town, On The Backward Moon” © 2015 by Michael F. Flynn; “The Ultimate Space Race” © 2015 by Jaleta Clegg; “Orpheus’ Engines” © 2015 by Christopher McKitterick; “Around The NEO in 80 Days” © 2015 by Jay Werkheiser; “Iron Pegasus” © 2015 by Brenda Cooper; “Airtight” © 2015 by Michael Capobianco; “Windshear” © 2015 by Angus McIntyre; “On Edge” © 2015 by Sarah A. Hoyt; “Tartaros” © 2015 by Mike Resnick; “Malf” © 2015 by David D. Levine; “Ten Days Up” © 2015 by Curtis C. Chen; “The Rabbit Hole” © 2001 by James Gunn Originally published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, December 2001; “Rare (Off Earth) Elements (A Sam Gunn Tale)” © 2015 by Ben Bova; “Tribute” © 2015 by Jack Skillingstead