Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets

In 1977, NASA launched the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. This book tells of what was known about those planets and their moons before the Voyager missions, as well as what Voyager discovered about those planets and their moons. This book is written for the middle-grade reader, and can be enjoyed by readers age 12 and up.

NASA launched Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977. These flights of exploration greatly expanded our knowledge of the outer planets of the solar system. Verba gives a concise but fairly thorough description of the Voyager project from conception through the completion of the probes' photographic mission. Voyager begins with a brief discussion of the exploration of the solar system prior to the project. . . . Each of the chapters on the outer planets begins by describing what was known before Voyager, followed by what new things we learned as a result of Voyager. . . . The material is appropriate for interested 5th and 6th graders, but the vocabulary level is more at the 7th- and 8th-grade level ... this is a good account of the flights of Voyager 1 and 2 and what we learned from them. –Science Books and Films

Verba's account is crammed with information about the moons, rings, atmospheres, temperatures, and orbits of these planets . . . the large quantity of information makes this a worthwhile resource. . . . –Booklist

Joan Marie Verba has written a wonderful tale of the craft that have gone where no one has gone before. . . . Geared toward the intermediate student, the books is well written . . . and brimful of information. –Science Press