It looked like something you might find under a Christmas tree, a shiny little remote control car to guide around the back yard. It was indeed shiny and little, and it did work by remote control. Its driver, however, was 119 million miles away and its back yard was Mars. On July 4, 1997, after a 7-month flight from Earth, a spacecraft was released from a parachute 40 feet above Mars. Cocooned in an ungainly mass of air bags, it slammed into the red Martian dust, bounced along like a giant beach ball and rolled to a stop. Nestled safely inside the spacecraft was Sojourner - the little rover that could.

This is the story of a memorable mission and its unlikely hero: from the planning, to the blastoff, to the intentional crash landing, to Sojourner's first appearance on Mars, to two months of hazardous navigation along the rocky road of Mars. And every day the same question had to be answered all over again. Would the darn thing work?

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When NASA sent the crew of Apollo 12 to the moon, they may not have realized that they were giving an artist the vision that would carry him through a lifetime of painting. The artist, of course, was astronaut Alan Bean, whose trip to the moon with pals Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon sunk so deeply into his brain that he's been trying to get it down on canvas ever since. He even mixes moon dust and bits of charred Apollo 12 heat shield into his paints to capture a bit of the Ocean of Storms in each image. The astronauts Bean paints are brave, exuberant, and all-American, right down to the reflections of Old Glory in their mirrored visors. His moon is surprisingly colorful and dreamlike, a magical place for jumping higher than you ever did before, racing around in the lunar rover, and swatting golf balls into orbit. Apollo: An Eyewitness Account, coauthored with space expert Andrew Chaikin, is filled with Bean's riveting stories and paintings, recording a long, successful career as an explorer-artist. He recreates the drama and brash enthusiasm of the Apollo program in bold strokes. --Therese Littleton

The exciting and personal account of one of only twelve men to ever touch the surface of the moon! When astronaut James Irwin gazed at the “blue planet,” his home, from the moon in 1971, he realized that the experience was drawing him closer to the God of his youth. After the flight, Irwin realized “the power of God was working in me and I was possessed by a growing feeling that God did have a new mission for me.”

This dramatic story, set against the backdrop of the vastness of space, highlights the spiritual resources Irwin drew from. His treks through the halls of power, through NASA, and to the adventures that seemed to find him stand as a signpost for all of us.

Discover Mars—in state-of-the-art imagery and amazing 3-D! Humans might set foot on Mars as soon as 2011. How will we get there...and what will we find? You'll find the answers in this timely and fascinating book, which covers Mars exploration from Copernicus to Pathfinder. Vivid illustrations leap off the page, sometimes in 3-D! Artists' renderings of Mars and Mars spacecraft help you understand recent events...and imagine what awaits us in the not-too-distant future. 45 full-color photographs. Hardcover. 9 1/8" x 10 7/8". 48 pp.

Youngsters learn fascinating facts about the solar system as they color 44 dramatic Space Age illustrations, including images of an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, a spacecraft observing the landscape of Mars, representations of all the planets, and much more. Descriptive captions accompany illustrations.

Twenty-four astronauts have crossed the vast ocean of space that separates Earth and Moon. Twelve have left footprints. With clearly written, comprehensive text, this book chronicles the history of Moon exploration and looks ahead to what the future might hold. Stunning photographs (many from NASA) bring to life all the drama, excitement, and adventure of our quest to know our bright neighbor in the sky.

A time line of Moon history, recommended books and web sites, and reproductions of the Apollo 11-17 mission patches are some of this book's special features.

Written almost a century before the daring flights of the astronauts, Jules Verne's prophetic novel of man's race to the stars is a classic adventure tale enlivened by broad satire and scientific acumen.

When the members of the elite Baltimore Gun Club find themselves lacking any urgent assignments at the close of the Civil War, their president, Impey Barbicane, proposes that they build a gun big enough to launch a rocket to the moon. But when Barbicane's adversary places a huge wager that the project will fail and a daring volunteer elevates the mission to a "manned" flight, one man's dream turns into an international space race.

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Originally broadcast in April and May of 1998, the epic miniseries From the Earth to the Moon was HBO's most expensive production to date, with a budget of $68 million. Hosted by executive producer Tom Hanks, the miniseries tackles the daunting challenge of chronicling the entire history of NASA's Apollo space program from 1961 to 1972. For the most part, it's a rousing success. Some passages are flatly chronological, awkwardly wedging an abundance of factual detail into a routine dramatic structure. But each episode is devoted to a crucial aspect of the Apollo program. The cumulative effect is a deep and thorough appreciation of NASA's monumental achievement. With the help of a superlative cast, consistent writing, and a stable of talented directors, Hanks has shared his infectious enthusiasm for space exploration and the inspiring power of conquering the final frontier.

NASA's complete participation in the production lends to its total authenticity, right down to the use of NASA equipment, launch locations, and even spacecraft. The re-creation of the lunar landscape is almost as impressive as the real thing and is further enhanced by the use of helium balloons to lighten the actors playing moon-walking astronauts. (These and other backstage details are revealed in the "making of" featurette, along with a wealth of supplemental materials, on a bonus disc in the miniseries' DVD package.) With a fictional, Walter Cronkite-like TV reporter (Lane Smith) serving as the dramatic link for all 12 episodes, this ambitious production may not be a great work of art. But as a generous and definitive example of nonfiction drama, it's full of the same kind of awe, inspiration, and humanity that led to "one giant leap" in the all-too-short history of 20th-century space exploration. --Jeff Shannon

44 captioned illustrations accurately depict scenes of major milestones in space exploration—from launching of first liquid-fuel rocket in 1926 to Challenger tragedy in 1986. Other exciting drawings: launch of Sputnik (1957), first U.S. space walk (1965), first men on the moon (1969), more.

Imagine living on the moon. What would you eat? Where and how would you make your home? Written by a former NASA mission controller with firsthand knowledge of the space program, this intriguing book combines a vivid description of humankind’s race to the moon with a detailed vision of the moon as our next frontier. Dyson packs lots of moon science into this futuristic vision, presenting kids with key facts in many fields—from geology to engineering to astronautics. Actual images of the moon from NASA’s extensive files are paired throughout with imaginative yet accurate artistic renditions of how a moon colony might look. And four fun, hands-on activities make even the most difficult concepts easy for kids to grasp.

This fascinating new book explores the exciting frontiers of space aviation. The history of mankind’s journey into space from early rockets and satellites to modern day space truckers on the Space Shuttle is outlined in interesting detail. Special sections explain:

• how the Space Shuttle works
• life aboard the International Space Station
• the dangers of living in space
• the possibility of "long-stay" colonies
• ideas for new bases on the Moon and even Mars!
• space probes that search beyond our solar system
• a helpful glossary to explain scientific terms and concepts

On a special field trip in the magic school bus, Ms. Frizzle's class goes into outer space and visits each planet in the solar system.

Fascinating book chronicles factual and fantastic aspects of Mars in 44 dramatic ready-to-color illustrations, among them a scene from Ray Bradbury's classic novel Martian Chronicles; Hollywood's film versions of "War of the Worlds" and "Invaders from Mars," views of the Mars probe Pathfinder/Sojourner (1997), the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, and much more. Informative captions.

Finely detailed, ready-to-color illustrations, showing both the real and the fanciful sides of lunar lore, depict a map of the moon; American Apollo astronauts exploring the moon; the heroes of H. G. Wells’s "First Men in the Moon" accosted by cave-dwelling lunar inhabitants; Galileo and his drawings of the moon; imaginative ideas of moon travel from as early as 300 bc; the moon’s role in solar and lunar eclipses; Hollywood’s 1950 version of a moon rocket, space suit, and terrain; much more. 44 black-and-white illustrations.

Apply full-color stickers of astronauts, space vehicles, scientific equipment, and more to laminated backdrop accurately depicting lunar landscape.

Narrates the preparations and activities which culminated in man's first landing on the moon in July 1969.

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The third edition of Nightwatch continues its tradition of being the best handbook for the beginning astronomer. Terence Dickinson covers all the problems beginners face, starting with the fact that the night sky does not look the way a modern city-dweller expects. He discusses light pollution, how to choose binoculars and telescopes, how to pronounce the names of stars and constellations, telescope mounts, averted vision, and why the harvest moon looks especially bright. Most of the lovely photographs in the book were taken by amateurs, which gives the section on astrophotography a particularly inspirational gleam.

Dickinson's star charts are very handy, each covering a reasonable field of view and mapping the most interesting amateur objects. He gives good advice for planet watching, which he notes "is one of the few astronomical activities that can be conducted almost as well from the city as from dark rural locations."

Altogether, the watchword for Nightwatch is indeed "practical"--this is a book to be used, not just read. Spiral-bound to lie flat or to fold back undamaged, it's a field guide that pulls its own weight in the field. Author Timothy Ferris says, "Like a good night sky, Nightwatch is clear and wind-free. Try it and see for yourself." --Mary Ellen Curtin

Amazon.com This engaging two-hour documentary from NOVA detailing America's space program was produced for the 30th anniversary of the first moon shots. While no 120-minute film can tell all the stories of the space program, To the Moon is more comprehensive than other similar videos. The film details the method that Americans used to reach the moon: lunar orbit rendezvous (one ship circles the moon while another lands). This concept wasn't even on the drawing board at NASA, and the video chronicles the struggle of engineers and astronauts to work out a solution. The space footage focuses on Gemini missions that rehearsed rendezvous in space and the most extravagant Apollo missions (numbers 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17). The film reunites several astronauts for fresh perspectives on the importance of the program, including the knowledge gained about the geology of the moon. Generation X actor Liev Schreiber (Scream 2) supplies the narration for this video, which is a great companion to the From the Earth to the Moon miniseries. --Doug Thomas

Describes the events leading up to the Apollo 11 flight that put the first man on the moon and the technological advances that made this and later flights possible

Six spectacular views, specially selected from NASA's own archives, recapture the excitement and adventure of great moments from America's exploration of space. Historic images include the launch of Apollo 11, astronauts walking on the moon, and views of the earth from space.

n Space Station Science, former NASA mission controller Marianne Dyson explains all the systems needed to keep the International Space Station up and running. She shows how the simplest tasks of daily life are changed in free fall and details the types of experiments scientists can do in space and nowhere else. Dyson tells how we get to and from space and gives us a glimpse into the future of space stations. Complete with activities that simulate life in space and illustrated with full-color photos and drawings, this insider’s guide will show you what it’s like to live in a space station and how what we learn up there could forever change our lives down here. Illustrations by Dave Klug with a forward by Buzz Aldrin.

This book was awarded a 1999 Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Booklist named it a Top Ten Youth Science Book. The National Science Teachers Association and Children’s Book Council named it an Outstanding Trade Book for 2000.

Space Thematic Unit is based on the following pieces of literature: Exploring Space, The Day We Walked on the Moon, The Little Prince. This reproducible resource is filled with ready-to-use lessons and cross-curricular activities. Also included are management ideas, creative suggestions for the classroom, and a bibliography. Grades 3-5.

Starry Night has been created to give amateur sky watchers an easy and logical survey of what there is to see in the heavens and how to find it. The book explains what's out there, from the planets and other objects in our Solar System, to the constellations that fill the night skies, to far-distant objects such as quasars and galaxy clusters. It explains in simple text how the objects move through and about the sky, and how the movements of the Earth help create this perception. Starry Night lists key information about all of the constellations in the northern and southern skies visible in winter and in summer. Many easy-to-apply instructions are placed throughout the book for easy reference, such as figuring astronomical distances, how to view a solar eclipse, how to determine where the planets are in any given month, when and where to observe meteor showers, and how stars are named.

But the book is only half of the package. Its companion, the Starry Night disk, graphically displays all of the night sky objects an observer might want to view, from our Moon to the far reaches of our galaxy, and way beyond. The disk gives you information about how to properly use, align and focus your telescope, and shows what you should be able to view. You can tour the Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy, and the distant universe without ever leaving your living room. Or, you can use this information to align and focus your backyard telescope to find precisely the object or phenomenon you wish to view. Want to see the rings of Saturn, the Orion constellation or the Horsehead Nebula? Read about it, find it on the disk, and view it in your own backyard.

Here is a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. For Apollo 11, the first moon landing, is a story that belongs to many, not just the few and famous. It belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the capsule during its fiery reentry. It belongs to the flight directors, camera designers, software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo developers, engineers, and navigators. Gathering direct quotes from some of these folks who worked behind the scenes, Catherine Thimmesh reveals their very human worries and concerns. Culling NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11, she captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team everthe team that worked to first put man on that great gray rock in the sky.