The Brick Moon, and Other Stories

by Edward Everett Hale

"The Brick Moon, and Other Stories" by Edward Everett Hale is a collection published in 1899. The title novella, originally serialized in 1869, tells the story of a massive brick sphere designed as a navigational aid that accidentally launches into orbit with people aboard. This pioneering work of speculative fiction contains the first known fictional descriptions of both an artificial satellite and a space station, remarkably anticipating modern concepts of orbital navigation systems.