Jim Stanley Series by Lester del Rey

Step to the Stars is a juvenile science fiction novel about the construction of the first space station. This is hard science fiction, using the best technological ideas of 1954 to tell an adventure story of man’s exploration of space. Step to the Stars was followed by two sequels: Mission to the Moon and Moon of Mutiny.

Jim Stanley, who had helped to build the first space station, was thrilled to return to it as a member of the crew selected to erect the ships which would fulfill Man's age-long dream to reach the Moon. A total effort was being made to surpass the progress achieved in outer space by an enemy Combine. It was believed that if this foreign group scored the initial landing and gained control of the cold planet, the world would be threatened... moreJim Stanley, who had helped to build the first space station, was thrilled to return to it as a member of the crew selected to erect the ships which would fulfill Man's age-long dream to reach the Moon. A total effort was being made to surpass the progress achieved in outer space by an enemy Combine. It was believed that if this foreign group scored the initial landing and gained control of the cold planet, the world would be threatened.The desperate effort to forge ahead of the Combine suddenly turns into a race against death when a young, space-happy boy takes off alone for the Moon in an inadequate ship. Although hampered by accidents, false rumors, and conflicts on Earth below, the crew works with frantic haste and grim determination to get the ships underway and to the boy in time. Jim Stanley, as mechanic and pilot, contributes a major share in the task of construction and on the tense rescue journey.Here is a gripping account of pioneers in space by one of science fictions best known and most skillful writers. Jim Stanley's adventures on the first flight to the Moon make a lusty and exciting tale for all who love to envision man's ultimate conquest of space. less

STRANGE GRAY "FLOWERS" ON THE MOON!Were they only a myth, a dream--or were they really there, beyond the desolate, unexplored lunar ranges?Fred Halpern had to know. Only the discovery of life--however primitive--could save man's struggling colony on the moon. And only by daring to cross the high ranges, where no man had gone before, could Halpern prove his own worth.This splendid novel of adventure and suspense on today's frontier will delight Discriminating SF fans of all ages... moreSTRANGE GRAY "FLOWERS" ON THE MOON!Were they only a myth, a dream--or were they really there, beyond the desolate, unexplored lunar ranges?Fred Halpern had to know. Only the discovery of life--however primitive--could save man's struggling colony on the moon. And only by daring to cross the high ranges, where no man had gone before, could Halpern prove his own worth.This splendid novel of adventure and suspense on today's frontier will delight Discriminating SF fans of all ages.(Descriptive text quoted from book's back cover.) less