Major Tom — Dennis O'Brien

“Fellow delegates, our mission is nothing less than to restore that hope, to give the people of our planet a future they can believe in. To counter the despair of war and violence and neglect. We have a unique opportunity to set an example and create a new future for humanity, to build that shining city on a hill that will light the way for all.”- Major Tom Liping, from her speech to the Space Treaty Conference advocating adoption of the Moon Treaty.Major Tom is a realistic, near-future story of two Chinese taikonauts and their U.S. counterparts who get caught up in the race to establish the first permanent human settlement on the Moon. Their idealism conflicts with national leaders who want their own country's economic system and political philosophy to dominate. At stake is humanity's destiny as we leave our home planet and begin our journey to other celestial bodies. Who will prevail?Major Tom is one part political thriller, one part science fiction, and one part romance. It entertains the reader while exploring the future of space exploration and commercial development. A must read for those interested in the next great conflict - and the next great cause.Dennis O'Brien is a retired attorney with a strong science background. Before law school he spent a year at Virginia Tech as a graduate teaching assistant in the history of science. In 1984-85 he was a member of the NASA-Hastings Law Project in San Francisco. His treatise, OTV: An Argument for the Independent Trader, argued for more involvement of private enterprise at a time when NASA was committed to using the Space Shuttle for almost all U.S. activity in space. Although rejected at the time because it limited NASA to public policy missions, the treatise predicted the current public-private model for the exploration and development of outer space.Dennis has recently started The Space Treaty Project, whose mission is to educate the public about the benefits of the Moon Treaty. Proceeds from the sale of Major Tom will be dedicated to the project. The Space Treaty Project is fiscally sponsored by Cloud Forest Institute, an educational and scientific 501c3 tax exempt non-profit corporation. Tax deductible donations on behalf of the Space Treaty Project can be mailed to Cloud Forest Institute, PO Box 1435, Ukiah, CA 95482 or made on line at www.cloudforest.org. Please note Space Treaty Project in the memo line of your donation.Dennis is an avid sports fan. In 1987 he helped found The Beat, a softball team in the San Francisco city league. The picture on the author page is of him and two other original members in 2011 (author in center), when the team won the San Francisco city championship. His first book, The Best Seat In The House, is about the team's first five years, culminating in their first division championship. It is available online at http://www.sonic.net/~headroom/bestseat/index.htm.Dennis began college as an engineering major but ended up with a history degree, due in large part to Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and the concept of psychohistory. He spent most of his career as a legal aid lawyer and helping nonprofit organizations. He is currently a programmer (DJ) at KMEC 105.1 (kmecradio.org) in Ukiah, California. His weekly show, Old Time Radio, airs on Tuesdays at 7:00pm (Pacific Time) and features radio shows from the Golden Age such as The Shadow and Sherlock Holmes, along with music from the 50's and 60's. He lives in a small cabin in the country, partially powered by his DIY solar power system (see Home Power Magazine, June 2017, for picture and story).