Volumes in the Frontiers in Space set look at the history of human exploration beyond Earth's atmosphere and the search for intelligent life in the universe. As a set, Frontiers in Space aims to improve science and math literacy by using space technology to introduce students to mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science principles. These discussions of space technology also introduce twenty-first-century career options for today's students. Each volume contains a standard, matching introduction to the set and then a volume-specific introduction. Human Spaceflight follows the evolution of space technology from the dawn of the space age to the present day. Chapters include "The Dream of Human Spaceflight," "Living in Space," "Space Walks and the Gemini Project," "Moonwalks and the Apollo Project," and "Space Shuttle." Chapters in each volume contain capsule biographies, sidebars that clarify important concepts, inquiry questions and answers, and recommended activities. Each volume concludes with a set chronology, a volume-specific glossary, further-reading resources (books and Web sites, compiled by subject), and an index. Black-and-white photographs, charts, and illustrations are also included, although color illustrative material would increase the marketability to the target audience. Students and browsers alike will find that these well-written and comprehensible titles provide thorough presentations of the specific concepts and the possibilities for the future. A high-priority purchase for high schools and for public libraries that serve populations needing materials on the topic.

Gr 6-10-Joining companion volumes in the series, this detailed history of our efforts to crawl out of the ocean of atmosphere provides sturdy, if drably formatted, support for specialized research assignments. Broad surveys of legendary or imaginary journeys and the various hazards of space travel, and discussions about near-future planned ventures, open and close the book. In between, Angelo describes, mission-by-mission, the early use of animals as flight-test subjects, space projects from Mercury to Apollo, and the subsequent twin development of the space shuttle and increasingly elaborate orbiting stations. The main focus is on the U.S. space program, though other nations' efforts receive some coverage. Supplemented by rare, murky black-and-white photographs, plus occasional sidebars on launch vehicles, the history and fate of the U.S. Air Force "Astrochimps," and other special topics, this volume offers a reliable source of information about the course, purposes, and results of nearly every space mission to the end of 2006. For collections supporting a strong science curriculum, it will make an economical alternative to the latest edition of Russell R. Tobias's encyclopedic USA In Space (Salem, 2006).-John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.