Commander Rick examines both the fictional and real world future of space travel with his guests J. Brian Clarke (The Expediter), Hal Clement (Cycle of Fire), James Patrick Kelly ("The Propagation of Light in a Vacuum"), Robert J. Sawyer (Golden Fleece) and Bob Shaw (The Ragged Astronauts). As well, Iain M. Banks discusses the importance of naming spaceships, Ray Bradbury waxes poetic on his first visit to a NASA launch, and Bruce Sterling, Ben Bova and Jerry Pournelle square off to debate the importance of putting people in space rather than machines.