I have one really big aviation nitpik for you. On page 248 you said "Tilting the wings of the plane helps direct thrust to the side, turning the plane." This is wrong. Wings do not tilt, and the force that turns an airplane is its horizontal component of lift, not thrust.

Subsonic aircraft bank via control surfaces called ailerons. These are located on the back of wing near the tip. When you turn your control wheel or stick to the left for instance, the right aileron will drop down, increasing lift on the right wing, and left aileron will rise up, decreasing lift on the left wing. This imbalance of forces causes the aircraft to roll to the left. When the aircraft is banked, its lift is no longer directed straight up, it is at an angle, with a vertical and horizontal component. The horizontal component turns the aircraft, while the vertical component keeps the aircraft in the air. Because the vertical has decreased, the pilot must pull back on the wheel or stick, to increase pitch, and increase the total amount of lift, or the airplane will sink. Supersonic aircraft work in a similiar way, except they don't have ailerons on their wings. They have what is known as stabilators, which are horizontal stabilators (those little "wings" on the tail) which can tilt. To turn left, the left stabilator is tilted up, and right one down. Thrust has nothing to do with either case.

There are some aircraft that have thrust vectoring, such as the F-22. While it gives an airplane a huge advantage in maneuverability, thrust vectoring will not turn an airplane.

I hope this little nitpik of mine isn't taken that badly. I DID enjoy your book, and I can't wait for Bad Astronomy The Sequel.