Space Exploration

Children's Literature - Peg Glisson

It has been barely a century since a Russian scientist suggested a rocket could escape Earth's gravitation pull, but in that time remarkable strides have been made in exploring space. Covering a variety of spacecraft, this entry in the "How It Works" series provides brief information about the design and workings of such crafts as the V-2 rocket, Sputnik, Voyager 2, Hubble Space Telescope, the Venus Express, and the International Space Station. Information is presented in many small boxes on each two-page spread, some of which are linked to drawings, cutaways, or diagrams. Diagrams detailing how things work, such as orbits, multistage rockets, reentry, boosters, gyroscopes, are clear, as are the technical explanations in the text. There is also a photograph included on each spread. Unfortunately, the thin line going from the description/explanation is sometimes hard to follow to its destination on the drawing. Each spread also includes "Eureka" and "What Next" boxes, highlighting historical facts and future plans. A red asterisk directs the reader to both the "how" and "interesting fact" boxes. The concise yet somewhat scattered facts make this better for browsing than for serious research. Overall, though, this is a useful overview for the intended age group. It is well indexed, has a glossary, and web links (providing considerably more information) to explore. Reviewer: Peg Glisson