The Lost Soldiers of Thera — Anita K. Mitchell

After a tragic mission to Mars in the mid-21st century, Earth has stagnated. Life on Earth in 2252 is almost identical to 2052. The last time Earth sent someone into space was to mine an asteroid in 2145. Once the military discovered the material they brought back to Earth wasn't the super metal they hoped it would be, they let it sit for over 100 years. Ralph Warren bought the hunk of rock from NASA and discovered it was actually a never ending fuel source, Telerium. Now that Ralph knows he has a fuel source that will never quit, he wants Earth to start exploring the universe again. With no help from the government, Ralph, and his team of genius engineers build the Aldrin far away from the prying eyes of the world. They take off amid a world crisis and discover the answer to some of Earth's greatest mysteries.