The Spacetime War

Ebook: $6.99

Trade Paperback: $16.00

Paperback: $9.99

More books by Les Johnson (22)

Back to the Moon

Back to the Moon

THE SECOND TIME AROUND—IS HARDER . . . Decades after the last footprints were left on the Moon, the U.S. was preparing to return to the Lunar surface in a new class of rockets, when the mission suddenly became much more urgent. It would have to be a rescue mission. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world China had sent its own Lunar expedition. A manned expedition. Until a distress call was received, no human outside of China even knew that the mission was manned—or that their ship had crash-landed and couldn’t take off again. Time was running out, and if the four Chinese astronauts were to be rescued, the American lunar mission would have to launch immediately, with only a skeleton crew. Once the heroic U.S. astronauts were underway the army of engineers and scientists back home had the daunting task of deciding what equipment could be left on the Moon to permit the Lunar lander vehicle vehicle to lift safely from the Moon with the two U.S. astronauts and the four stranded Chinese taikonauts! Could the U.S. mount such a mission successfully—and would thousands of years of instilled honor “allow” the Chinese astronauts to accept a rescue? ABOUT THE AUTHORS Travis S. Taylor—“Doc” Taylor to his friends—has earned his soubriquet the hard way: He has a doctorate in optical science and engineering, a master's degree in physics, a master's degree in aerospace engineering, a master's degree in astronomy, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He's currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, and next generation space launch concepts. He has appeared in several episodes of the History Channel’s Universe series. He lives in Auburn, AL with his wife Karen and their daughter. Les Johnson is a NASA physicist, manager, author, husband and father. By day, he serves as the Deputy Manager for the Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, one of the coolest jobs in the universe. In the early 2000s, he was NASA’s Manager for Interstellar Propulsion Research and later managed the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project. He was technical consultant for the movie Lost in Space and has appeared on the Discovery Channel series, “Physics of the Impossible” in the “How to Build a Starship” episode. He has also appeared in three episodes of the Science Channel series, Exodus Earth. In his spare time he writes popular science books and articles, including Solar Sails: A Novel approach to Interplanetary Travel, Living Off the Land in Space: Green Roads to the Cosmos and Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth. Listen to the authors discuss the book here on the Baen Free Radio Hour.

MoreBuy
Crisis at Proxima

Crisis at Proxima

Time is running out for the inhabitants of Proxima Centauri. Unsettling discoveries there and at Luyten’s star now threaten both Proxima and Earth, in a new hard science fiction thriller from Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson.First contact with the seemingly impossible human civilization at Proxima Centauri is not going well. The Earth ships sent to render aid have not been able to reverse the contagion ravaging their population and, worse, many Proximans are now wondering if the humans from Earth are there for other, not so charitable, reasons. Can the extinction-level disaster faced at Proxima be reversed by the combined ingenuity of scientists from both worlds working together?Unsettling discoveries in the Proxima Centauri planetary system beg the questions: What if the evil gods depicted in Proxima’s ancient mythologies were real and far more powerful than even the humans from Earth with their late 21st century technologies? Worse, what if their ancient oppressors never truly left?

MoreBuy
Free Nonfiction 2011

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2011

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. The Size of it All by Les Johnson Terraforming Ganymede with Robert A. Heinlein - Part 1 by Gregory Benford The Amazon's Right Breast by Tom Kratman Brains Aflame: Out on the Frontier of Neuroscience with a World-Class Researcher by Tony Daniel Terraforming Ganymede with Robert A. Heinlein - Part 2 by Gregory Benford The Aliens are Not Among Us by Les Johnson Gravity's Punch by Tony Daniel Science and Society in the Citizen Series by John Lambshead Beating Decline: Miltech and the Survival of the U.S. by J.R. Dunn BEATING DECLINE: Miltech and the Survival of the U.S. by J.R. Dunn It's Lonely Out There – The Evolutionary Explanation for the Fermi Paradox John Lambshead

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2012

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2012

The Drugs of War by J.R. Dunn Putting the Science in Science Fiction by Tedd Roberts The Roads to the RCN Series by David Drake The Menace from Lydia: The Social Spider as Alien Invader by Robert E. Furey Rediscovering the Solar System by Les Johnson The Conquest of Planet Baen by Bob Kruger Indirectly Mistaken Decision Cycles by Tom Kratman Do Tanks Have a Future? by J.R. Dunn Getting Guns Right by Michael Z. Williamson Rediscovering the Universe by Les Johnson The Neuroscience of Darkships by Tedd Roberts Stars That Wander, Are You Bright: Are Stars Conscious? by Dr. Greg Matloff

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2013

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2013

Listen to Terry Burlison discuss his essay, "Columbia's First Victims", here on the Baen Free Radio Hour. Family Therapy: Learning to Love Mercury and Pluto by William Ledbetter On the Road to the Brainships: A Look at the Current Science of Interfacing the Brain by Tedd Roberts The Closest Extra-solar Planet to Earth: What's Alpha Centauri Bb Like and How Can We Get There? by Les Johnson Siberian Dawn: Tapping Solar System Resources by Dr. Greg Matloff Evidence of Things Unseen: Why Not dark matter? by Les Johnson R.I.P., MOC by Terry Burlison Fracking and the American Comeback by J.R. Dunn A Terrible Thing to Lose: Zombie Science and Science Fiction in John Ringo's Under a Graveyard Sky by Tedd Roberts Columbia's First Victims by Terry Burlison Training for War, Part One by Tom Kratman Becoming Martian by Terry Burlison Training for War, Part Two by Tom Kratman Exoplanet Hunters by William Ledbetter Training for War, Part Three by Tom Kratman

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2014

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2014

Listen to Bob Kruger discuss his essay, "Dungeons and Dragons: The 40 Year Quest for a Game that Breaks All the Rules," on the Baen Free Radio Hour: Part 1 | Part 2. From Smart Flesh to Custom Organs: The Growing Science of Tissue Engineering by Tedd Roberts Training for War, Part IV by Tom Kratman Dungeons and Dragons: The 40 Year Quest for a Game that Breaks All the Rules by Bob Kruger Training for War, Part V by Tom Kratman Rendezvous and Docking: A User's Guide for Non Rocket Scientists (Part 1) by Terry Burlison Rendezvous and Docking: A User's Guide for Non Rocket Scientists (Part 2) by Terry Burlison Training for War, Part VI by Tom Kratman Bloodied by Starlight by Jonathan LaForce Why Science is Never Settled - Part One by Tedd Roberts Why Science is Never Settled - Part Two by Tedd Roberts Even Fantasy Needs a Little Science (Even Magic Needs Rules)by Tedd Roberts Living without Satellites by Les Johnson Behind the Scenes at Mission Control by Terry Burlison Using Outer Space to Improve Life on Earth by Les Johnson A Medieval Artist In The 21st Century by Randy Asplund

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2015

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2015

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2015. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. Our Worldship Broke! by Jim Beall A Translunar Laboratory . . . Hurrah! by Tedd Roberts The Incredibly Small Exploring the Cosmically Huge: Nanotechnology to Enable Future Space Probes by Joseph E. Meany The Distant Past: A Setting for Science Fiction by Michael Z. Williamson Using Missile Defense Against Terrorist Attack Israel’s Iron Dome and the Future of Rocket Shields by Alan Isom Remember to Remind Me. . . The Changing Science of Memory by Tedd Roberts Slaughtering Early Humans for Fun and (a Slight) Profit by Dave Drake Space Tethers and Elevators by Les Johnson Case Studies in Handwavium by Jim Beall Tomorrow's Math by Robert Dawson Will Hollywood Ever Get It Right? by Tedd Roberts The CubeSat Revolution by Les Johnson

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2016

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2016

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2016. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. From Corvus to Keyhole Shipyards—Past, Present, and Science Fiction by Jim Beall Are We Really Just Wired Differently? by Tedd Roberts The Near Future of Human Genome Engineering by Dan Koboldt Mars, Moon or Bust! by Les Johnson Do Dungeon Masters Roll Magic Dice? Willful Self-Deception on the Campaign Trail by Bob Kruger Strange Sex: Alien Reproduction Through a Biologist’s Eyes—and What This Could Mean to Science Fiction by Dave Freer The Science of Dr. Gribbleflotz by Rick Boatright A Quantum of Consciousness by John Lambshead Radium Girls of Science and Science Fiction by Jim Beall Dark Matter of the Human Genome by Dan Kobolt Of Dragons and Valkyries: Helicopters in Fiction by Kacey Ezell Homo Stellaris: Becoming the People of the Stars by Robert E. Hampson, Ph.D.

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2017

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2017

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2017. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. The Truly HARD Science in Kill Before Dying—and the Rest of the Tau Ceti Universeby Dr. Travis S. Taylor The Galactic Internet (And We're Still Using Dial-up)by Les Johnson Honorverse Analytics: Why Manticore Won the Warby Pat Doyle and Chris Weuve Chimeras: Science and Science Fictionby Dan Koboldt Robert E. Lee and Decisive Battle: How Lee's Strategic Thinking is Portrayed in The Day After Gettysburgby J.R. Dunn Bug-Eyed Monsters Versus the World Buildersby William Ledbetter Stasis: The Future of Suspended Animationby Philip A. Kramer Graphene—Not Just Another Miracle Materialby Les Johnson and Joseph Meany Seeing Inside Your Head: From MRI to Telepathy?by Robert E. Hampson, Ph.D. Right Hand, Human Brain: The Mysteries of Handednessby Benjamin C. Kinney Grid Warsby Jim Beall Nuclear Fission Power in SpaceAndy Presby

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2018

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2018

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2018. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. Catching the Gravitational Lens Expressby Les Johnson Every Seven Minutesby Dr. Robert E. Hampson Magic Systems Aren't Magicby D.J. Butler Fixing Broken Memoryby Dr. Robert E. Hampson Character of the Female Warrior: an FAQby Kacey Ezell and Jennifer Whetstone Life Beyond Earth? Look to Small Stars by Kerry Hensley Conflict in the South China Seaby J.R. Dunn Why FTL Will End the Universe—and Six Ways to Avoid It in an SF Storyby John Lambshead Atomic Folliesby Jim Beall Principles of Organization for War and Organizing for War in the Carreraverse, Part Oneby Thomas P. Kratman Principles of Organization for War and Organizing for War in the Carreraverse, Part Twoby Tom Kratman Principles of Organization for War and Organizing for War in the Carreraverse, Part Three: The Rest of the Organization Principles Explainedby Tom Kratman

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2019

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2019

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2019. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. Swords of Lok: A Historical Approach to the Edged Weapons of Larry Correia's High Fantasy World by Whit Williams Principles of Organization for War and Organizing for War in the Carreraverse: Part Four: Military Organization of Carrera's Legions by Tom Kratman Genetics Advice for Generation Starships by Dan Koboldt The Evolution of Body Armor by Michael Z. Williamson Warships of Sea and Space: Form Follows Function Follows Technology by Jim Beall Warships of Sea and Space: Form Follows Function Follows Technology, Part II by Jim Beall Do You Believe in the Singularity? by Dr. Robert E. Hampson As Big as Space Itself: Building Our Own Space Megastructures—and Searching for Them as Galactic Signatures of Alien Civilizations by Les Johnson The Universe Beyond the Plasma Frequency by Kerry Hensley Man Caves: Humanity's Next Home by Ken Roy

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2020

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2020

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2020. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. Beamed Energy for Space Exploration: Giant Leap or Incremental Steps? by Les Johnson The Bridge of Sighs: Are We What Might Have Been? by Robert E. Furey Notes on the Carreraverse (A Concordance, More or Less), Part 1 by Tom Kratman Space Pirates! by Mark Lardas Notes on the Carreraverse (A Concordance, More or Less), Part 2 by Tom Kratman

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2023

FREE

Free Nonfiction 2023

In February of 2011 we started posting free nonfiction we at Baen thought might be of interest to our readers. The first article was "The Size of it All" by Les Johnson, a Baen author and space scientist. As new nonfiction is made available, it will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of nonfiction for 2023. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books.

MoreBuy

FREE

Free Stories 2021

FREE

Free Stories 2021

In January of 2011 we started posting free short stories we thought might be of interest to Baen readers. The first stories were "Space Hero" by Patrick Lundrigan, the winner of the 2010 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest, and "Tanya, Princess of Elves," by Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International and set in that universe. As new stories are made available, they will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of short stories for 2021. As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books. APPLESEED: A Founder Effect Legend by Robert E. Hampson Latuda’s Lady in White by Aaron Michael Ritchey Misfits by A.C. Haskins All Orca Go to Heaven by Joelle Presby The Paoshi Puzzle by James L. Cambias Of Shadows and Caves by David Weber and Richard Fox Salvage Judgment by G. Scott Huggins Murder in Space by Les Johnson The Man Who Would be Dracula by Simon R. Green Shattered Trust by Dave Bara Echoes of Meridian by M. Elizabeth Ticknor The Rot’s Last Laugh by Charles E. Gannon Fire-Bright Rain by Jane Lindskold From Every Storm a Rainbow by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

MoreBuy

FREE

Going Interstellar

Going Interstellar

Essays by space scientists and engineers on the coolest ways and means to get humanity to the stars along with stories by an all-star assortment of talespinners abounding with Hugo and Nebula award winners: Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, Jack McDevitt, Michael Bishop, Sarah A. Hoyt and more. Some humans may be content staying in one place, but many of us are curious about what’s beyond the next village, the next ocean, the next horizon. Are there others like us out there? How will we reach them? Wonderful questions. Now get ready for some highly informative and entertaining answers. Download the comprehensive Teacher’s Guide here.

MoreBuy
Mission to Methonē

Mission to Methonē

The year is 2065 and an accidental encounter in space leads to the discovery that we are not alone in the universe—and that our continued existence as a species may be in jeopardy. Chris Holt, working in his office at the Space Resources Corporation, discovers that one of the asteroids he is surveying for mining is actually not an asteroid at all but a derelict spaceship. The word gets out and soon the world's powers are competing to explore and claim for themselves the secrets that it holds. What they don't know is that across the galaxy, a war has been underway for millennia. A war between alien civilizations that have very different ideas about what should be done about emerging spacefaring civilizations like our own. The artificial intelligence resident in the derelict Holt discovered has been in our solar system since before the dawn of human civilization, watching, waiting and keeping quiet lest the interstellar war return and wipe out the sentient race that now resides there—humanity. And that war might soon be again coming to our front door. The truth can only be discovered on Methone, a tiny, egg-shaped moon of the planet Saturn. Who will get there first? And will it be in time?

MoreBuy
On to the Asteroid

On to the Asteroid

Realistic thriller crackling with action and danger as an asteroid threatens the Earth, and dedicated astronauts and scientists try to save the planet. LOOMING DESTRUCTION FROM SPACE! It's the beginning of a new golden age of space exploration. Finally, humanity is taking the commercialization of space to the next level—mining asteroids. The new gold rush of the commercial space era has begun. Another commercial venture, an attempt to put a hotel on the Moon, is seeking the space tourism gold of the ultra wealthy. And it seems as if the dream of finally sending people to Mars is finally going to happen using a ship propelled by a powerful nuclear rocket. But space travel isn’t cut and dry, and there is nothing routine about it. In order to mine an asteroid the goal is to bring it closer to Earth, but orbital mechanics are tricky and close to Earth  proves to be far too close for comfort—with looming destruction from space about to become a grim reality.  Now astronauts, scientists, engineers, and people in all the burgeoning space businesses must team together to stop the asteroid before it is too late for humanity and the planet it calls home.

MoreBuy
Reading Guides 2012

FREE

Reading Guides 2012

MoreBuy

FREE

Rescue Mode

Rescue Mode

The first human mission to Mars meets with near‑disaster when a meteoroid strikes the spacecraft, almost destroying it. The ship is too far from Earth to simply turn around and return home. The eight‑person crew must ride their crippled ship to Mars while they desperately struggle to survive.  On Earth, powerful political forces that oppose human spaceflight try to use the accident as proof that sending humans into space is too dangerous to continue. The whole human space flight program hangs in the balance. And if the astronauts can’t nurse their ship to Mars and back, the voyagers will become either the first Martian colonists—or the first humans to perish on another planet. Listen to the authors discuss the book here on the Baen Free Radio Hour.

MoreBuy
Saving Proxima

Saving Proxima

The year is 2072. At the lunar farside radio observatory, an old-school radio broadcast is detected, similar to those broadcast on Earth in the 1940s, but in an unknown language, coming from an impossible source, and originating at an equally impossible location—Proxima Centauri. While the nations of Earth debate making first contact, they learn that the Proximans are facing an extinction-level disaster, forcing a decision: will Earth send a ship on a multiyear trip to provide aid? Interstellar travel is not easy, and by traveling at the speeds required to arrive before disaster strikes at Proxima, humans will learn firsthand the effects of Einstein’s Special Relativity and be forced to ponder the ultimate of questions: “Are we alone in the universe?” and “What does it mean to be human?”

MoreBuy

Customer Ratings for The Spacetime War

Expand ratings

Only registered users can write reviews. Please, log in or register

4 out of 5 stars based on reviews

Only registered customers can vote.

Prev Page Next Page