In 1961, President Kennedy issued a challenge: before the end of the decade, the United States would land a person on the moon and return him safely to Eartha bold proclamation at the time given that only one US astronaut had ever been to space, for just 15 minutes. To answer President Kennedy's call, NASA embarked on the Apollo missions: a complicated, dangerous, and expensive adventure involving 400,000 people. Before the missions were over, NASA astronauts had made eleven Apollo flights, six of which landed on the moon, and eight astronauts had lost their lives. The Apollo Missions for Kids tells the story of this pivotal era in space exploration from the perspective of those who lived itthe astronauts and their families, the controllers and engineers, and the technicians and politicians who made the impossible possible. The book includes a time line, resources for further study, and places to visit to see Apollo mission artifacts, along with 21 hands-on activities to better understand the missions and the science behind them. Kids will: Determine what they would weigh on the moon Learn to identify the moon's features Demonstrate orbital mechanics with a marble and a shallow bowl Calculate how far away the moon is using sports equipment Recreate the shape and size of the command module Eat like an astronaut and make "space food" Design a mission patch And much more!

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 4th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 9-12 years.

There are 160 pages in this book. This book was published in 2019 by Chicago Review Press .

Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio. He is a recent recipient of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Best Essay. He lives in Chicago.