The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon

Description

When people look up at the night sky, they might see the potential for amazing discoveries and scientific advancement. During the Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s, some people also saw a place that needed to be claimed. In The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon, middle school astronomy students will explore the bitter rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that served as fuel for the fire that catapulted rockets into the great unknown of the next frontier-space-and eventually landed a man on the moon.

Matthew Brenden Wood, author of The Science of Science Fiction and Planetary Science: Explore New Frontiers, is a math and science teacher with a passion for STEAM education. He is also an avid amateur astronomer and astrophotographer. Wood holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Sam Carbaugh has illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including Forensics: Uncover the Science and Technology of Crime Scene Investigation and Shakespeare: Investigate the Bard's Influence on Today's World. He wrote and illustrated Comics: Investigate the History and Technology of American Cartooning. Sam lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

--Frank H. Winter, internationally recognized historian of rocketry and spaceflight "The Space Race is an excellent, concise treatment of a very complex and important aspect of modern history and is also a wonderful and challenging learning tool for young readers up to 15. The interactives throughout the book, in which the readers can explore more of the subject with smartphones or tablets, along with challenging questions, further enhance this book as an invaluable and fun learning tool." School Library Connection Many students these days have only a vague impression about the space race, their facts gleaned from watching movies like October Sky and Apollo 13. This book fills in the gaps surrounding the space race, the Cold War, and the technological advancements of the times in an informative and entertaining way. Asif Siddiqi, author of Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 (NASA, 2000) This is a wonderful resource for middle school students, bringing the Space Race to life through accessible language, fun exercises, and cool graphics. I highly recommend it! Praise for other titles by Matthew Brenden Wood The Science of Science Fiction School Library Connection: By exploring the intersection between the arts and sciences, this book provides an engaging discussion of how works of science fiction can influence actual scientific innovation and vice versa. . .The suggested activities included in this title provide many opportunities for collaboration, high-level thinking, discussion, and debate. Recommended. School Library Journal: VERDICT Jam-packed with high-interest material, this selection will be useful for science classes or literature units that cover the books mentioned within. Booklist: This latest addition to the award-winning Inquire and Investigate series will be a welcome acquisition for librarians wanting to spice up their STEAM collections.