The models stall. Simulations return impossible numbers, and the known laws of physics offer no clear path forward. 

For researchers in plasma physics and advanced propulsion, hitting this wall is a familiar feeling. The leap from chemical rockets to true interstellar travel seems to require a fundamental break from established theory, a missing piece of the puzzle that has remained stubbornly hidden. 

Engineering Infinity: Earth’s First Interstellar Blueprint engages with that problem by drawing on a collection of declassified Soviet engineering documents that question some of the assumptions underlying modern propulsion science. The book presents a detailed translation and examination of 12 primary source works by the late Soviet engineer Valerijs Černohajev. The documents, created between 1980 and 2007, were later found by his daughter, Natalja Černohajeva-Sticco (M.Eng.), and edited by retired USAF Staff Sergeant Gene Sticco.