The Best Book of Spaceships
Kindergarten-Grade 3-The full-color drawings of assorted rockets, satellites, and the like are the strength of this beginning look at space exploration. Except for very brief mention of the Soviet Vostok and the French Ariane, all of the spaceships covered are NASA products. The just-begun space station Freedom illustrates space stations; MIR is not mentioned. One double-page spread is devoted to space suits, since "A spacecraft has to provide astronauts with air to breathe, and it has to keep them warm." A suited astronaut is pictured strapped into a MMU (manned maneuvering unit) but other than a few labels (gas thruster, hand controller, adjustable arm), no attempt is made to explain its workings. One might also quibble with the inclusion of the Hubble telescope and the various space probes in a book on spaceships. The abbreviated text is readily understandable and will entertain browsers; report writers or those with serious interest in spaceflight and its machinery will need to consult other sources.Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.