Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo program, the space flights that put Americans on the moon, comes this detailed and generously illustrated overview. The chapters flow in chronological order, covering the history of space exploration, the evolving technology of space flight, and mission summaries. Blended in are plenty of anecdotes, brief biographies, and sidebars, while 21 activities are mixed throughout the chapters. Many are simple experiments that could be performed at home or in a classroom, with minimal adult supervision (using a scale to compare weight on earth versus the moon; swirling marbles around a bowl to simulate orbits). Others involve art (design a mission patch; assemble a minuscule museum to send into space) or making satisfying messes (drop marbles into a flat pan filled with flour and powered cocoa to create a cratered moonscape). All of this information is backed up by a bibliography and extensive chapter notes. An ideal candidate for STEM collections, this will appeal to researchers, investigators, and aspiring astronauts alike.

A frank account of our early space program's ups and downs, with 21 low-tech, hands-on activities.Readers old enough to be drawn in to Pohlen's mission-by-mission accounts of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs will likely find the interspersed projects—which range from making a balloon-powered rocket that runs along a string to chucking pebbles into a bowl of light and dark powders to create "craters"—laughably rudimentary. Fortunately, the author's picture of the brilliant if too-often-slapdash effort that ultimately sent 24 men to the moon and brought them all back is compelling enough to survive distractions. Along with taking due note of the thousands of people, not all of them white or male, who labored to solve the program's massive technological and logistical challenges, he humanizes the astronauts with frequent references to their families. Plenty of period photos, accounts of memorable incidents en route ("On the mission's first day, Frank Borman vomited in the equipment bay. Lovell watched a chunky blob the size of a tennis ball float up"), exuberant quotes from mission transcripts (Pete Conrad: "Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me!"), and glimpses of their post-Apollo pursuits further this effect as well.An engrossing portrayal of "a bold, complicated, dangerous, and expensive adventure," at once broad in scope and rich in specific details. (index, glossary, endnotes, multimedia resources) (Nonfiction. 11-13)

This addition to the For Kids series of activity books features a detailed history of the space race and the Apollo missions alongside related activities. Photographs show behind-the-scenes moments, including astronauts training on the -Vomit Comet- and the Apollo 11 astronauts being reunited with their wives in 1969. Sidebars introduce figures of note, including Katherine Johnson and Margaret Hamilton, while others provide detailed perspectives on topics such as the anatomy of the moon suit. One invites readers to visit a football field with distance markers to gain a sense of the Saturn V-s actual size; another provides a recipe for -space food- (instant pudding in plastic bags). An illuminating hands-on resource. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9-up. (June)