The National Air and Space Museum

by Megan Cooley Peterson

Overview

What do moon rocks, a space shuttle, a white vest, and the Wright brothers' Flyer all have in common? They are some of the amazing artifacts on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Take a tour through the museum's collections. Engaging text, graphs, maps, and colorful images help readers discover the stories behind some of these high-flying pieces of history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781515779872
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Series:	Smithsonian Field Trips Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	389,660
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Megan Cooley Peterson is a children's book author and editor. Her book How To Build Hair-Raising Haunted Houses (Capstone Press, 2011) was selected as a Book of Note by the TriState Young Adult Review Committee. When not writing, Megan enjoys movies, books, and all things Halloween. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and daughter.

Table of Contents

Soaring into the Future 4

Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis 6

Touchable Moon Rock 8

Lockheed U-2 10

Space Shuttle Discovery 12

Broadcasting from Space 14

Spacey Spiders 16

The 1903 Wright Flyer 18

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 20

Apollo 13 Vest 22

World's First Pressure Suit 24

Captured Zero Fighter 26

Mobile Quarantine Facility 28

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Critical Thinking Questions 31

Internet Sites 32

Index 32

Interviews

products verified for accuracy by Smithsonian experts; graphic organizers such as maps, charts, and diagrams in each title; expert quotes; critical thinking questions to promote discussion and fulfill common core; carefully written based on grade level content and reading levels

Editorial Reviews

Each two-page spread in this book is a visit to one of the artifacts in the museum. Some of them are famous, like the Wright Flyer. Some are comparatively obscure, like Anita, a spider (now preserved in formalin) that was sent to space in 1973 as part of an experiment to test whether spiders could spin webs while weightless. (They can.) The topics aren't in any particular order, so reading the book feels like meandering through the museum and picking a few specific objects and reading their labels, much as I used to explore Washington, D.C.'s museums with my young children. Read about Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega, then Gene Kranz's vest, then the world's first pressure suit. A museum in a book!

The Planetary Society

11/01/2017
Gr 2–5—These attractive, easy-to-read volumes present several of the highlights of the respective museums. In The National Air and Space Museum, readers learn of airplanes including the Spirit of St. Louis and objects from space exploration. The National Museum of Natural History contains dinosaur fossils and the Hope Diamond. Inserted throughout are "Did You Know" facts, such as "When mossy frogs are scared they curl up and play dead." Colorful photographs accompany the information and are bound to attract readers fascinated by unusual trivia. VERDICT Elementary school browsers and report writers will gravitate toward this appealing take on U.S. history.

School Library Journal