As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented...

"Find out all about NASA in this out-of-this-world addition to the What Was? series. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, began in 1958. With its creation, the United States hoped to ensure it won the space race against the Soviet Union. Author Sarah Fabiny describes the origins of NASA, the launching of the Apollo program that landed the first human on the moon, and the many missions and discoveries that have taken...

"Blast off into a galaxy full of fun with this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a series about the history of fun stuff!"--

"The Space Race was an unofficial competition for spaceflight dominance between Cold War rivals the United States and the Soviet Union. This interesting title sets the scene for lunar and space exploration by both countries, describing early rocket development, NASA's Gemini program, which put humans in space, and the development of robot explorers. Maps show how early astronomers mapped the Moon hundreds of years ago, and what materials the Moon...

This title explores the military origins of the Space Race, including the geopolitics of the Cold War, the race to build intercontinental ballistic missiles, and sophisticated reconnaissance satellites. Will include information about Germany's development of the V-1 "buzz bomb" and V-2 missiles of World War II, and the United States enlistment of Wernher von Braun, the German scientist known as the father of rocketry.

"This title will include biographies of important figures of the Space Race from both the United States and the Soviet Union. These men and women will include: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, and others"--Publisher's marketing.

"Before John Glenn orbited the earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in...

In contrast to the close cooperation practiced among European states, space relations among Asian states have become increasingly tense. If current trends continue, the Asian civilian space competition could become a military race. To better understand these emerging dynamics, James Clay Moltz conducts the first in-depth policy analysis of Asia's fourteen leading space programs, concentrating especially on developments in China, Japan, India, and...

This title will explore the beginnings of the Space Race, including the development and launch by the Soviet Union of Sputnik, the world's first satellite. America's response was Project Mercury, run by the newly formed NASA. With its goal of putting astronauts into Earth's orbit, Project Mercury spawned such household names as John Glen, Alan Shepard, and the other "Mercury 7" astronauts. Will also examine animals in space, and the parallel space...

"Space research and investigation is always at the cutting edge of science. This exciting book traces its history from the Space Race of the last century to the development of GPS and space tourism. An activity spread allows readers to design their own spacecraft."--