Dr David Baker worked with NASA on the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programmes between 1965 and 1990. He has written more than 80 books on spaceflight technology and is the author of the Haynes NASA Space Shuttle Manual. He lives in Sussex.
Grade 2–4—Though nearly identical boilerplate spreads and perfunctory further-reading lists that include only this publisher's titles will keep these volumes off the top shelf, they will serve as updates to older titles. Space Station covers the origins, construction, and purposes of the ISS and closes with a note about its uncertain future in light of waning U.S. interest. Mars tallies visiting space probes, from Mariner 4 in 1965 to 2008's Mars Phoenix lander, and looks very briefly ahead to future missions. Living on the Moon summarizes previous trips to our closest celestial neighbor, describes the next generation of NASA Moon landers, and discusses plans for initial lunar settlements. In Probing Space, readers will learn how space probes are launched and where they have gone, and will get a few hints about what has been discovered through using them. All four volumes pair simply written texts with a mix of small color photos and artists' renditions, with an emphasis on the latter. With one mismatched picture and caption, plus a misleading description of orbital corrections, Space Station is the weakest link; the other three titles provide serviceable supplementary or reinforcement reading.—John Peters, New York Public Library END