Challenging the reader to consider what is possible, this book reveals an entirely new concept for getting into space—Airship to Orbit (ATO). Photographs and details are provided from the nearly 100 development flights conducted so far, along with new findings such as life 20 miles up and mile high plasma volcanoes. The blueprints and economic details of hypersonic airships and cities floating at the edge of space are all included, bringing the subject out of scientific journals and fantasy pages and into the public eye. Contents 1. Where Are All the Spaceships? 2. Arriving at the Terminal 3. Three-part Architecture 4. Suborbital Space, the Forgotten Sea 5. Trip to the Dark Sky Station 6. Floating Through History 7. Flight and Approach 8. Floating Cities and Ships in Fiction 9. First Stage Airship 10. Cities at the Edge of Space 11. Orbital Airship 12. A Walk Down The Hall 13. Tools 14. Floating to Space 15. Economics at the Edge of Space 16. The Challenges 17. Working the Program