The Apollo Missions for Kids
The People and Engineering Behind the Race to the Moon, with 21 Activities
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- $20.99
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
In 1961, President Kennedy issued a challenge: before the end of the decade, the United States would land a person on the moon and return him safely to Earth—a bold proclamation at the time given that only one US astronaut had ever been to space, for just 15 minutes. To answer President
Kennedy's call, NASA embarked on the Apollo missions: a complicated, dangerous, and expensive adventure involving 400,000 people. Before the missions were over, NASA astronauts had made eleven Apollo flights, six of which landed on the moon, and eight astronauts had lost their lives.
The Apollo Missions for Kids tells the story of this pivotal era in space exploration from the perspective of those who lived it—the astronauts and their families, the controllers and engineers, and the technicians and politicians who made the impossible possible. The book includes a time line, resources for further study, and places to visit to see Apollo mission artifacts, along with 21 hands-on activities to better understand the missions and the science behind them. Kids will:
Determine what they would weigh on the moonLearn to identify the moon's featuresDemonstrate orbital mechanics with a marble and a shallow bowlCalculate how far away the moon is using sports equipmentRecreate the shape and size of the command moduleEat like an astronaut and make "space food"Design a mission patchAnd much more!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This addition to the For Kids series of activity books features a detailed history of the space race and the Apollo missions alongside related activities. Photographs show behind-the-scenes moments, including astronauts training on the "Vomit Comet" and the Apollo 11 astronauts being reunited with their wives in 1969. Sidebars introduce figures of note, including Katherine Johnson and Margaret Hamilton, while others provide detailed perspectives on topics such as the anatomy of the moon suit. One invites readers to visit a football field with distance markers to gain a sense of the Saturn V's actual size; another provides a recipe for "space food" (instant pudding in plastic bags). An illuminating hands-on resource. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9 up.
