This Is Rocket Science: True Stories of the Risk-taking Scientists who Figure Out Ways to Explore Beyond Earth

by Gloria Skurzynski

Overview

..three, two, one... we have liftoff! From the award-winning author of Are We Alone? comes a title to propel young imaginations far into space. This Is Rocket Science explores the past, present, and future of space travel.

The compelling text—vetted by NASA scientists—is a combination of history, science, human drama, and future challenges. Readers learn how fireworks in ancient China developed into the fire arrows used by Genghis Khan; we meet Sir Isaac Newton, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and learn how their imaginations shaped rocketry. We revisit the era of Sputnik, the satellite that launched a superpower space race, ending with moonwalks and a rendezvous in space. Finally we look forward to the future challenges of Mars and beyond. We also get a sneak peek at new technologies like space elevators, solar sails, ion propulsion, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426307171
Publisher:	Disney - RHCB
Publication date:	04/13/2010
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Gloria Skurzynski is an award-winning author who has written more than 50 children's books. Her nonfiction book Almost the Real Thing won the American Institute of Physics' Science Writing Award. She has also penned numerous works for National Geographic, including Are We Alone?, an IRA/CBC Young Adults' Choice for 2006. Skurzynski lives in Boise, Idaho.

Editorial Reviews

This brief but engaging chronicle of how rocketry made space travel possible begins 1,000 years ago in China with the invention of "fire arrows." Skurzynski breezes through the astronomical discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler and the formulation of Newton's laws of gravity and motion to the late 19th century. After discussing the contributions of rocketry pioneers Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, Hermann Oberth and Wernher von Braun, the author focuses on the era of space exploration, beginning with the launch of Sputnik and continuing with the ensuing "space race" between the United States and Soviet Union. Important developments such as the Saturn V rocket, space-shuttle program and international space station are highlighted. The concluding chapter discussing NASA's Ares program and its plan to return to the Moon is already dated by the Obama administration's recent decision to scrap the program. Abundantly illustrated and attractively designed, readers will find this overview of rocket science informative and appealing. Glossary, index and resources not seen. (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Gloria Skurzynski does something unique here by writing about the early development of rocket science itself, and includes the work of scientists from a variety of countries including Russia and Germany. She starts with the history of rocketry, going back to China’s development of gunpowder and Italy’s embrace of fireworks (more valuable trivia: the word rocket is based on the Italian word rocce, which means “long thin tube”), and then moves forward into the interesting coincidence that many early rocket scientists were fans of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Is that cool or what?—Colleen Mondor, Bookslut.com

From the Publisher