To Space and Back

Heard the taped version of TO SPACE AND BACK by Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space . . . though supposedly written for a young adult audience, I nevertheless found it a fascinating account of what it would be to like to have to eat, sleep and work while circling the Earth. It has also made me think twice about consuming something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich . . . while you or I would just go to our fridge and prepare such a delicacy in minutes, when in space, you can't just do this whenever you want to . . . you must have at least one other person with you at all times to do such mundane tasks as hold the jar lid when you go to get a knife.

Long an advocate for improved science education, astronaut Sally Ride, the first American women to fly in space, has written four children's books: "Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System"; "The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space"; "The Mystery of Mars"; and this one, "To Space and Back."In this book Dr. Ride takes children on a first person tour of a space shuttle mission. She describes preparations for the flight, the actual launch, orbital flight with its characteristic weightlessness, and the return to Earth when the shuttle lands like an airplane on a runway. As an example of how she approaches this subject. She writes that at launch plus six minutes: "The force pushing us against the backs of our seats steadily increases. We can barely move because we're being held in place by a force of 3 g's--three times the force of gravity we feel on Earth. At first we don't mind it--we've all felt much more than that when we've done acrobatics in our jet training airplanes. But that lasted only a few seconds, and this seems to go on forever. After a couple of minutes of 3 g's, we're uncomfortable, straining to hold our books on our laps and craning our necks against the force to read the instruments. I find myself wisping we'd hurry up and get into orbit." Then she describes how, at about eight minutes after launch, the engines cut off and she is weightless in Earth orbit. This book is a treat for young readers. It captures the excitement and mystery of space exploration as only a veteran astronaut--one who is both reflective and committed to the education of young people--can relate it. Share it with them.

If you, like me, dream of exploring space, then this is the book for you to read. This book litteraly puts you in the shuttle during one of the flights. From countdown to landing, this book takes you through it all. Out of all the astronaut books that I have read, this one is the best.

This is a wonderful, well-written book about a space shuttle mission from start to finish. My 7-year old was enthralled by the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to him. The book covers topics that are of interest to kids as well as adults, such as how astronauts go to the bathroom in space, how they eat, sleep and shave, etc. It also covers topics that earthbound folk such as me never even thought about, such as what is done with all the weightless hair, crumbs, and the like that float around the cabin at the end of the day. The topics range from the mundane to the scientific. Orbit, launching and retrieving sattelites, and scientific experiments are discussed in easily understable language. I highly recommend this book.