Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Orphans of the Sky is a science fiction novella by Robert A. Heinlein, consisting of two parts: Universe and Common Sense. A gigantic, tube-shaped starship 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 dwell. One day, Hugh Hoyland starts exploring and finds the astonishing secret of the ship's purpose. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.