Space Discovery Guides

Did you know that astronauts work on Earth and in space to study places beyond our planet's atmosphere? But there's a lot more to space travel than just research. With no gravity, a wild schedule that includes sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets every twenty-four hours, and no fresh food, it can be a challenge to stay healthy in orbit. Public and private space agencies are working to solve these problems as humans travel farther and more frequently into the depths of space. Learn more about the daily lives of astronauts and how they live, work, and prepare for the future in space.

Did you know that companies and governments send more than one hundred satellites into space every year? And that most of those satellites continue to orbit Earth-even after they have stopped working? More than 500,000 old satellites, pieces of metal, and other bits of junk currently pollute Earth's orbit. And that number is growing. Astronomers, engineers, and politicians all agree that the future of space exploration is in danger if this debris isn't taken care of. But the problem of garbage in space is difficult and expensive to solve. In this book, learn more about this problem and its potential solutions.

Did you know that Pluto has mountains, glaciers, and even blue skies? In July 2015 a spacecraft called New Horizons finally reached Pluto-almost ten years after it had launched! The spacecraft flew by Pluto to take the first close-up photos of the dwarf planet. When it began sending those photos back to Earth, scientists were amazed by what they saw. Pluto was more fascinating than scientists ever imagined! Read this book to learn more about New Horizons, its long journey to Pluto, and the things scientists learned from the photos of this distant dwarf planet.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go into outer space? Soon you might be able to find out! For years, only trained astronauts were allowed to travel through space, but now lots of companies are creating spacecraft that will allow regular people to experience space for themselves. World View Enterprises wants to take people to near space using a helium balloon. And Virgin Galactic has already sold hundreds of tickets for a ride on its Unity spacecraft. But is this kind of space travel safe? Will these new spacecraft be able to get off the ground? Read this book to learn more about private space travel!

Have you ever dreamed of walking on Mars? Or maybe even living there? Ever since Mars was discovered, people have wondered if there could be life on this mysterious red planet. For years, astronomers at NASA and other space agencies have been exploring Mars. They've sent rovers to study the planet and search for water and signs of life. One day, NASA plans to send astronauts there, too. But first, they need to learn many things about Mars and how people might travel that deep into space. Read this book to learn all about the exploration of Mars. You could be the first person to go there!

Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of outer space. No visible light can escape the strong gravity of a black hole. This makes black holes invisible-and very difficult to study. But scientists make new discoveries and develop new theories about these mysterious objects every day. In 2015, astronomers were able to finally confirm a theory that Einstein had developed one hundred years earlier! And in 2016, scientists found that black holes may form in a different way than they ever thought possible. Read this book to learn more about the incredible and mind-boggling science of black holes.