“Gateway” by Frederick Pohl. Terran astronauts doing a routine mining exploration in the asteroid belt discover an abandoned space terminal. Thousands of ships, lined up and ready to fly. Volunteers spend their fortunes on a chance to fly one of the ships. Maybe the mission will outlast your food supply, or drop you in the heart of a supernova, or leave you on a desolate world for a thousand years…
[off topic?]
https://bookshop.org/p/books/gateway-frederik-pohl/f2f3fc316b931cf7?ean=9780345475831&next=t
“Gateway” by Frederick Pohl. Terran astronauts doing a routine mining exploration in the asteroid belt discover an abandoned space terminal. Thousands of ships, lined up and ready to fly. Volunteers spend their fortunes on a chance to fly one of the ships. Maybe the mission will outlast your food supply, or drop you in the heart of a supernova, or leave you on a desolate world for a thousand years…
For while you’re waiting on the show.
I’ve got that book in my to-read pile! I never noticed the face in the cover.
Bwah-ha-ha!
Has it been your face staring down at me from the shelf all these years!?
Oh, no! Absolutely not! Heaven forbid!
Bwah-ha-ha!!!