Orphans of the Sky

Orphans of the Sky is a 1951 science fiction novella by Robert A. Heinlein, consisting of two parts: Universe and Common Sense.

In the novella, a gigantic, cylindrical generation ship is cruising pilotless toward a distant solar system, inhabited by a crew that has forgotten their origins over time and lapsed into superstition. Most crew members lead a simple bucolic life of farming, never venturing to the upper decks where the "muties" (mutants or mutineers) dwell. One day, Hugh Hoyland starts exploring and finds the astonishing secret of the ship's purpose.

This story refers to the sister ship of New Frontiers, the ship stolen by the Howard families in the story Methuselah's Children. This ship and the aftermath of this story are mentioned in passing in the novel Time Enough for Love.

Printings

• Hardcover, January 2001, ISBN 1588810070
• Paperback, December 2001, ISBN 0671318454

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