Space Exploration Reference Library: 4 Volume set plus Index

From Chinese rockets of the 11th century to the latest developments in modern space travel, the four-volume Space Exploration Reference Library provides a wealth of information on this still-emerging science.

Space Exploration Reference Library: Almanac covers the space race, the Moon landings, joint U.S. and Russian space ventures, space equipment, the history of space probes and more.

Space Exploration Reference Library: Biographies examines key figures like Sally Ride, Yuri A. Gagarin, Neil Armstrong, John H. Glenn, Jr., Ellen Ochoa, Hermann Oberth and many others.

Space Exploration Reference Library: Primary Sources includes a wide-range of full and excerpted sources concerning the political, economic and scientific aspects of space exploration.

For table of contents, sample pages or other volume specific information see the entry for the Almanac, Biographies or Primary Sources.

In its now familiar Reference Library format, UXL presents a middle-school resource on space exploration. The two-volume Space Exploration: Almanac component has 14 chapters averaging 22 pages in length and covering topics such as "Rocketry in Warfare," "Manned Spaceflight Begins," "Space Shuttles," and "Ground-Based Observatories." The third volume, Space Exploration: Biographies, profiles individuals (Buzz Aldrin, Mae Jemison, H. G. Wells), but readers will also find articles on the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. Space Exploration: Primary Sources has 15 chapters that extract and explain content from materials ranging from Jules Verne's From Earth to the Moon to George W. Bush's January 14, 2004, remarks on space exploration. Chapters in all four volumes conclude with a list of print and Internet resources to consult for additional information.

Like other titles in the Reference Library line, Space Exploration is filled with aids for the student. A time line, glossary, list of "Research and Activity Ideas," and general bibliography are repeated in each volume. Chapters in the Almanac have their own lists of "Words to Know," and in Primary Sources, terms that may be unfamiliar are defined in the page margins. Sidebars and black-and-white photographs provide additional information and break up the text. In addition to volume indexing, there is a separate cumulative index.

Another student-friendly resource, Macmillan's four-volume SpaceSciences (2002) has much broader coverage and is designed for an older age group. Its selective and synthesizing approach makes Space Exploration ideal for the targeted audience, and it is recommended for school and public libraries. Mary Ellen Quinn
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