Escales dans l'espace

The third volume in Willy Ley's "Adventures in Space" series, Escales dans l'espace is devoted entirely to the orbital space station (which Ley calls the "relay satellite") and the chain of activities it would make possible. The book opens with a narrative sequence (a traveler on a train notices orbiting lights, then a construction rendezvous in space) before addressing technical realities: zero-gravity assembly, articulated spacesuits, and a three-person cylindrical "taxi" vehicle for short-range maneuvering. The central chapters examine the four envisioned uses (military observation, meteorology, astronomy, interplanetary staging post) and life aboard the station: atomic reactor, life support (1,350 g of air per person per day), waste management, and weekly resupply missions. The book closes with a prospective sequence (an automated camera mission to the Moon's far side, a crewed lunar orbital flight, and "planetary bumblebees" toward Venus and Mars) ending with a signed author's note.