For hundreds of years scientists have sought and studied new worlds beyond Earth. Author Ron Miller describes the long, hard trek from the first tentative attempts to fly rocket-powered vehicles, to the first humans to brave traveling beyond Earth’s atmosphere, to the explorers who left their footprints in the soil of the Moon. This history of space exploration will compel you to consider the future of our journey.

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them. Simple telescopes in the 1600s made possible descriptions of the wonders of Earth's Moon and the closer planets. It took the development of powerful telescopes and modern space probes to learn more about the more distant planets-Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. In this book, we'll explore seven wonders of these four enormous planets-called the gas giants-and their moons. On Saturn,...

Saturn is the crown jewel of the solar system. Admired for centuries for its beauty--a pale gold ball surrounded by gleaming white rings--modern astronomers have discovered that Saturn is one of the most amazing of all the planets. From the mysteries of its glorious rings to its dozens of unique moons, one of which is large enough to be a world in its own right, the story of Saturn is also the story of astronomy and the discovery of the solar system....

From earliest times, humans have wondered about the sky above them and have studied all visible objects. People began to identify differences between stars and planets, and as technology advanced with telescopes and space probes, they sought deeper understanding of the millions of bits of debris rocketing through the solar system. Scientists determined that most of these objects are left over from the creation of the planets and their moons. They...

Known as the red planet, Mars is the closest planet to the sun. Easily seen from Earth, Mars has intrigued thousands of people throughout history. Many have wondered whether the planet could be inhabited by forms of life; many have dreamed of exploring the planet. Several successful space projects have revealed interesting facts about the history, make-up, and geology of Mars. Although much has been discovered, mysteries surrounding Mars and its moons...

For centuries, astronomers have placed a special interest on the other planets of the solar system. But with the advent of spacecraft and the tremendous missions undertaken by the Voyager and Cassini probes, astronomers have discovered that the natural satellites of the planets-the solar system's moons-are some of the most extraordinary places imaginable. There are moons with towering geysers, erupting volcanoes, and subterranean oceans of warm, mineral-rich...

Could life have previously flourished on Mars? Will humans be able to travel there one day? Can humans one day colonize the red planet? NASA scientists have been interested in answering questions like these for a long time. In November 2011, NASA sent the rover Curiosity to Earth's nearest planetary neighbor. By gathering information about Mars's climate and geology, the robot is helping scientists uncover the secrets of the planet and its past. Since...