The Lights in the Sky Are Stars, by Fredric BrownRead about the other entries on the list.
When it comes to space travel, Frederic Brown’s take is an intriguing one: in this version of 1997, space travel to Mars and Venus is possible, but is being held back by political operatives who view the efforts as a waste of money. The narrative follows a rocket mechanic named Max Andrews who’s working to make his way to the stars. He marries a senator, Ellen Gallagher, and together, they push for funding for a new rocket that will go to Jupiter. Brown accurately predicts the present state of manned spaceflight, and certainly takes a hard turn from what one might expect from a book ostensibly about space travel.
--Marshal Zeringue