Johnson, Taylor co-author ‘On to the Asteroid’
- Les Johnson, left, and Travis Taylor are co-authors of “On to the Asteroid.” CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Thrills, risks and high profits from outer space revolve in the plot of “On to the Asteroid,” the latest book by Madison author Les Johnson.
Travis S. Taylor co-authored the book with Johnson.
“Travis and I want to convey the promise of space development, as well as the danger and excitement of space travel,” Johnson said. “The nearly infinite resources of space will soon begin to be tapped to help improve our lives on Earth … through mining of asteroids.”
The book suggests that mining results in “beaming electrical power to the ground from space and other ways we cannot yet imagine. There’s also a vast amount of money to be made for those willing to take the risks. And it will be risky,” Johnson said.
With his adventure story, Johnson hope readers will feel optimism about the future.
“On to the Asteroid” is deals with “near-term,” compared to long-term in most science fiction. “What’s possible in the next few decades? We envision a precursor to the ‘Star Trek’ universe so many of us dream about,” Johnson said.
Johnson has written two other novels and edited a short story collection, similar to “On to the Asteroid” in that he wanted plausible plots. “There are no Warp Drives in my books, at least, not yet,” he said.
He also writes science non-fiction about space technology. His book, “Solar Sails: A Novel Approach to Interplanetary Travel” was reviewed by “Nature” and placed on their summer recommended reading list. He also recommends “Harvesting Space for a Greener Earth ” to speculate about space exploration in the next 25 years.
Johnson works as Technical Advisor to Advanced Concepts Office at NASA. A native of Ashland, Ky., he has lived in Madison since 1986. His wife Carol is a full-time mother and homemaker. Their children both will graduate in spring 2017 — Carl from Emmanuel College in Georgia and Leslie from Transylvania University in Kentucky, Les’ alma mater.
“On to the Asteroid” is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, major bookstores and as an e-Book. Baen Books, a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster, Johnson’s publisher.
For more information, email les.mail@lesjohnsonauthor.com or visit lesjohnsonauthor.com or Facebook/LesJohnsonAuthor.
