Astronomy's Shocking Twist

A ten-book series spanning real engineering and hard science fiction, covering humanity's path from first orbital infrastructure to interstellar travel.

Technical Books

Engineering and physics of building space infrastructure — from orbital rings and mass drivers to propulsion, habitats, and generational ships. Rigorous enough to teach from; accessible enough to read cover-to-cover.

AST-T1
AST-T1

Orbital Ring, Mass Driver, and Space Elevator Engineering

3 Volumes

Mass transit to space: orbital ring, mass driver, and space elevator engineering.
AST-T2
AST-T2

Propulsion Systems and the MIA Drive

Ion propulsion and the Mass Ion Accelerator (MIA) drive.
AST-T3
AST-T3

Living in Space

O'Neill cylinders, Venus floating cities, lunar, asteroid, and gas giant moon mining.
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AST-T4

Generational Ships

Designing ships and societies for multi-generation interstellar voyages.
AST-T5
AST-T5

The Full Picture

System-level integration of all components across the technical series.

Science Fiction

Eight hundred years of human history, constrained by known physics. Characters live normal lifespans. Propulsion is limited by available power. Materials are limited by what can reasonably be manufactured. There are no shortcuts.

AST-F1
AST-F1

The Beginning of the End

2035-2100

The discovery that changes everything, and humanity's first steps toward orbital infrastructure.
AST-F2
AST-F2

Learning to Live, Work and Build in Space

Humanity adapts to life in space as the first orbital infrastructure comes online.
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AST-F3

En Route to the Challenge

The long voyage outward — generational ships, propulsion, and the human cost.
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AST-F4

The Challenge Begins

Arrival, conflict, and the work of building humanity's next home.
AST-F5
AST-F5

Humanity's Next Chapter

Eight hundred years after the discovery — what humanity has become.