"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in the cradle forever," said Russian rocket pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovksy in 1899; his words introduce this lavish and exhilarating vision of the time when man will not merely explore space, but actually live there.

In text, photographs, and nearly 100 dazzling paintings, "Out of the Cradle" offers a startling vision of our future in space, from the authors of the Hugo-Award nominee "The Grand Tour." The full-color paintings depict the human adventure in the cosmos, with habitats and colonies offering the comforts of home, way stations and solar collectors turning vastness into territory, and robot "astronauts" that allow the journey into the unknown go deeper and deeper.

With special attention to Mars, the Moon, and satellites Ganymede, Callisto, and Enceladus, "Out of the Cradle" also features a wealth of supplementary photos, charts, and diagrams.