Starfire

A writer of science fact as well as fiction, Preuss has won a reputation for his believable depiction of advanced technology and the people who toil at it. That's the case once again in this near future story of ex-astronaut Travis Hill's push to get back in space while also changing the order of NASA's priorities. With the aid of his connections and family political ties, and as part of his plan to set up a private research center, Hill shifts the destination of an upcoming mission to some asteroids that may be exploitable for their minerals. Preuss makes good use of his familiarity with both the innovators and bureaucrats of science and he's astute in his picture of the loyalties and tension among the flight crew. For all the background of motivations and frustrations, however, the characters never come alive and the workaday details of spaceflight seem humdrum. (March)