ABANDONED. 80's Sci Fi about Developing Interstellar Travel

[Locke]

Hello all! I posted this in the Sword and Laser group, and someone there mentioned that this was your specialty. So here goes.

I'm interested in re-reading an old sci-fi book that I read back in the early/mid 80's, and naturally I can't remember the title or author.

The plot centered around a space race to develop interstellar travel. Earth had received a radio transmission from a nearby star - an alien race which had picked up our own radio waves and had sent their own transmission to earth. The "race" was between a pair of large corporations, one trying to get faster-than-light travel to work, the other investing heavily in suspended animation. The plot had a real Dallas/Dynasty feel to it; rich families, corporate espionage... beyond that, it's pretty much a blank.

**SPOILER PARAGRAPH**
It started off with the FTL ship being sabotaged in it's test flight. And in the end they do get it working, passing the frozen guys on the way to.. whatever star the ET's called home.
**end spoiler**

I'm not sure if it would have been considered a 'young adult' book at the time, but it's possible.

Thanks folks,
~Locke

[Emlen]

This is *kind of* similar to an Asimov story, from (I'm pretty sure) "I, Robot"; I don't remember the title of the story, but it involved two competing corporations trying to develop interstellar travel; one of them had a theory, but it's own robot/computer had been wrecked by trying to process it (which is why they deliberately leaked the theory to the other corporation), but the main characters' company's robot was more flexible, and could handle it (though it had some weird side effects).
No aliens that I remember, though. So, almost certainly not what you're looking for, but it could be connected somehow.

[Andy]

Emlen's story is probably "Escape!" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape!) from "The Rest of the Robots"

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Locke, are you still looking for this book?

[Conal]

Not 100% sure but this sounds like the Children of the Stars series by Juanita Coulson.

Tomorrow's Heritage
Outward Bound
Legacy of Earth
The Past of Forever

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Locke, are you still looking for this book?"

No response; moved to Abandoned.