We Have Liftoff: Envisioning Your Place in the Orbital Age

by Michael Ashley, Tom Vice

Ever wondered what space can do for you?

The next great leap forward in human innovation is here.

Introducing . . . the Orbital Age. And it’s all happening in low-Earth orbit (LEO), a mere 250 miles above Earth’s surface—roughly the distance between Boston and New York. Before you know it, the journey from Earth to space will be an everyday flight, not just for astronauts but also for tomorrow’s business professionals.

Even more exciting, the new commercial space era will transform life here on Earth, generating incredible medical breakthroughs like 3D-printed organs and new cures for diseases, as well as producing revolutionary computing advances and inventions we can scarcely yet imagine.

In We Have Liftoff, positive futurist Michael Ashley and visionary space exploration leader Tom Vice envisage a near future where regular people live and work in space, exploring untold entrepreneurial opportunities and scientific developments. Switching between genres with each chapter, We Have Liftoff will take you on a unique, exciting voyage through a movie script filmed in space, a gourmet menu best consumed in microgravity, journals recording medical advances through 2088, and more—all to imagine the coming marvels of space travel.

With insights from professionals revolutionizing the industry at Sierra Space, a leading space exploration company at the forefront of space innovation and commercialization, We Have Liftoff will show you what was once deemed science fiction will soon be reality.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

A former Disney screenwriter and professional speaker, Michael Ashley is the author of over twenty-five books on numerous subjects, including four bestsellers. Michael serves as a columnist with Forbes, Entrepreneur and Green Entrepreneur. Prior to starting his own creative content agency, he began his career as a playwright and a newspaper reporter. A former screenwriting professor at Chapman University, he has been featured in KTLA, Entertainment Weekly, The National Examiner, the United Nations’ ITU News, The Orange County Business Journal, Fox Sports Radio, and The Orange County Register. The co-host of Changing the Story Podcast and United Nations’ Artistic Intelligence series, Michael serves as a story consultant for companies on how to best convey their messaging.

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***

It wasn't until I was 58% of the way through the book that I learned the "fictional" space travel company in the story is actually a real company and this whole book is just a sales pitch from the CEO.

He shouldn't have bothered. The book is poorly written, disjointed, and almost incoherent. The fact that it was a sales ploy without making that obvious to readers from the beginning is dishonest and, frankly, embarrassing for the authors.

Do not read this. It's crap.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fascinating to read through the inventions and medical achievements that could be discovered through research in an LEO environment. Hopefully there are engineers, scientists, doctors, and space workers ready to accept the challenges when they become available. The addition of the recipes was a nice touch.

[⚫㊐✨Heather Mc Erlean❦㈦㊏ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We Have Liftoff: Envisioning Your Place in the Orbital Age," by Tom Vice and Michael Ashley, is part textbook, part novel, and part graphic novel. The book is a vision of what life will be like in the "Orbital (Space) Age." Some of it is already here, while much is a fictional presentation of their imagining of what life will be like in the future, a future set in space.

The book has many stories from a wide selection of people. Each person usually has a story from the past that shows how we got to where we are today. Each has a different occupation and a different perspective. There are also many comparisons between the text and Star Trek, as well as comparisons about what life is on Earth and how it will be different in space. There are even recipes that you can make. Much of this book surmises what will happen to humanity in the orbital age. I can see much of this being true at some point in our future. The date of 2088 (the date in the book) might be too soon for some of it, but you never know.

This book will appeal most to those who love science, history, science fiction, and space-related themes. The formatting is a little unconventional, and many people will disagree with some of it, but it's worth it if you enjoy this genre.

[Helen E Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

I was the winner of this book from a Goodreads giveaway..

The book seems like a well written paid advertisement for creating enthusiasm around traveling to, living and working in space. The book discusses an incredible future made possible by space Pharma and other technologies.

There is apparently no downside to this as nothing negative is discussed. I certainly can't believe that having civilian workers in space would not cause any issues.

The book also describes Gen Z as being unable to find joy in work but space exploration will solve that issue. Gen Z is not remarkable in that arena. As explained in the book, what excites and motivates people to work is a purpose they believe in; however, it also has to pay the rent, put food on the table and allow for a work/life balance. Nobody wants to work 80 hours a week and watch the owner of the company become a billionaire while they struggle.

The book does have some thought provoking images of what life could be in the future due to work done in space: creating medicines to cure cancer and growing organs in space to allow humans to live longer.. The question then becomes, how does earth, even with space agriculture, support the multitude of people living to 200?.

[Kyle James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Without substance and out of touch. Self-serving advertisement delivered with the cheesiness of modern day Disney writing under the guise of being a non-fiction look into developing space technologies. The authors peddle the same handful of conceptual space capabilities repeatedly over nine chapters using everything from a fictional podcast interview, to a screen play, to a comic strip. Then the final chapter is about the dissociation of the modern worker from the work and how space exploration will solve that(?). Gets the one star for creativity and potentially being a good entry point for a young person who is new to space exploration - frankly this read like children’s book.

[Shan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first two chapters and it felt basically like a plug for the author's company. I was going to quit but tried to carry on but I just couldn't. Everything was "soon you'll do this in space" which made it feel like in the next decade. Let's face it, we're not going to have a bunch of "space workers" anytime soon and definitely not for the average person.

I thought this was going to be non-fiction. There are a few science-facts strewn in but for the most part it's fictional stories about what may happen in the, very distant, future.

[Tony]

*This book was a rare Goodreads giveaway win for me.


The book's narrative starts with the early pioneers of rocketry and progressing through the major milestones of space exploration. Ashley's use of vivid descriptions and personal anecdotes brings the stories to life, making the book feel like a personal journey through the cosmos.Ashley also delves into the political and social contexts that have shaped the space race, adding depth and nuance to the narrative.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just really didn't get this one. I didn't understand the concept. I had a hard time figuring out what the book was supposed to be about from the summary, and still didn't get it after reading the whole thing. It was all over the place. I couldn't tell what was fiction and what was non-fiction. It did make you think about what our future world could be like, which is the only reason I gave it two stars. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Shannon Callahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know how to say nice things about this book. In the beginning, I had a high hope for this book. When I started out…it had a weird style. The more I read, it was borderline between explanations and semi-storytelling. Then it just threw me off it is all because of explanations…it has gotten so bad that I started to skim the rest of the book. It wasn’t as impressive as the reviews stated in the beginning. I wish the author asked for more honest opinions on the writing style.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book is part science, part speculative fiction, part anime. So hard to pin down a genre.
I did like the first half of the book, but not the second half. It went off in a weird direction and lost me.

[Breanna Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who enjoys all things space and time, this was thoughtful, innovative and a great read. It will get your mind turning and you will find yourself randomly thinking about how easy it will be very soon for space travel!

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love space. And although still interesting, I struggled a little with the use of novelization in this book. It's a clever way to engage people, but it's just not something I was expecting. I prefer cold, hard, dry sciencey facts and predictions.

[Shela Feldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative take on space exploration.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

💙💙💙 ABSOLUTELY FRIGGIN FASCINATING! 💙💙💙

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining