The Space Race

Join award-winning science writer John Hamilton as he traces humanity’s race to the moon and the exploration of the final frontier.

The Space Race tells the story of the dawn of rocketry to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Every manned American spaceflight is included, from Project Mercury to Gemini to Apollo. Also covered are vital details about important Soviet spaceflights, as well as America’s space shuttle, the International Space Station, and planned future missions.

Why did Neil Armstrong almost crash the Eagle lunar lander before becoming the first person to walk on the moon? Who was the first person to vomit in space? Who peed in his spacesuit while still on the launchpad? These questions and many more are answered in these inspiring—and sometimes humorous— stories of triumph, tragedy, and determination.

The Space Race is based on the bestselling hardcover series, now expanded and combined into a single-volume ebook for the first time. “… readers will find themselves immersed in the excitement.”—American Library Association Booklist. Perfect for school reports, but also a thrilling book for anyone interested in space, young or old.

In this 33,000-word history of the space race, you’ll discover:
• Early rocketry, from Chinese fireworks to the terrifying German V-2 missiles of WWII.
• The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• The origins of NASA.
• The original Mercury 7 astronauts.
• The cosmonauts who went where no one had gone before.
• The spacecraft that brought us to the moon.
• Concise biographies of the pioneering men and women who first explored the heavens.
• Glossary and Timeline.
• 75 historical images from NASA’s archives.
• And much, much more!