The Science of Spacecraft: The Cosmic Truth About Rockets, Satellites, and Probes

by Alex Woolf, Ed Myer (Illustrator), Bryan Beach (Illustrator)

Did you know that the first space station was launched by the Soviet Union in 1971, or that the Webb Space Telescope set to launch in 2020 will be able to see vast distances, back to the early history of the universe? Space has been a source of fascination to humans for thousands of years. From the 1950s onwards, spacecraft have enabled us to journey to the Moon, the planets, and other bodies in orbit around the Sun. This fascinating guide explores the many different kinds of spacecraft in use today, from the artificial satellites that orbit Earth to the probes that explore the furthest reaches of our solar system. It covers how they are built, how they navigate and communicate, and what operations they perform as they travel through their airless environment. Features include funny and interesting illustrations; real-world science examples; side panels to tackle complex subject matter in a fun and relevant way; detailed glossary and more.

Genres: Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2019

About the author

Alex Woolf is a prolific, award-winning author of books for adults and children. In his non-fiction he has written on subjects as diverse as sharks, robots, asteroids, flying reptiles and chocolate. His novels span a range of genres, including crime, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, steampunk and horror.

Alex is a regular author for Fiction Express, online publishers of interactive stories for schools. Fiction Express is read by more than 150,000 students from 20 countries. Two of his stories have won reader awards. In 2021, he won the prestigious ASE award for his non-fiction book Think Like a Scientist. His horror novel, Soul Shadows, was shortlisted for the Falkirk Red Book Award. Bestselling crime author Peter James described his novel Aldo Moon as “a real delight, witty, ghostly and at times deliciously ghastly”.

Reviews

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series review - Additional for grades 3-6.

Review TK.

[Jana Henderson (Reviews from the Stacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information and a wonderfully engaging format, but why is "spying on other countries" included in a list of good and helpful things that satellites can do?