50 Space Missions That Changed the World

Part of “The Beginners Guide to Space” series, 50 Space Missions That Changed the World is an enticing read for those aged between 6 and 10. It provides a brief glimpse of familiar and lesser known but equally fascinating ground-breaking space ventures. It covers efforts as far back as World War II when the V2 rocket was invented and then moves through the decades and into future planned missions and possibilities.

The book is divided into seven main categories: “Enter the Space Age”, “Race to the Moon”, “Exploring the Solar System”, “Spacecraft at Work”, “Shuttle-Mir Era”, “Exploring the Universe” and “Ongoing Missions”. Within each category, topics are generally chronological.

There is a huge amount of information to digest in this book, making it a good choice for avid space enthusiasts and also an inviting introduction for beginners. It is packed full of intriguing details, and its layout, although overly busy in places, invites browsing. It provides well-organized clearly explained information that is augmented by eye-catching factoids in sidebars and an abundance of credited stock photographs.

Whether it is presentation of grouped missions, such as Apollo and other manned crafts, single achievements or exploratory spacecraft, the achievements are astounding. The book’s contents portray amazing successes but do not shy away from the reality of difficulties and tragedies experienced along the way. The better-known Moon landings and Mars explorations sit side by side with particulars of the origins of the international space race, animal roles in space exploration, and lesser known planet surveillance. The role of space ventures in search and rescue operations, GPS navigation and in predicting weather and climate change are eye-opening.

A comprehensive table of contents, a glossary of technical terms and a list of websites from well-known international space museums are included. Written by an astronomy enthusiastic, 50 Space Missions That Changed the World is sure to amaze and act as a catalyst for further reading.