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Science Comics
Science Comics: Human Spaceflight: Rockets and Rivalry
Strap in! Science Human Spaceflight is a new volume in First Second's STEM graphic novel series!
Once humans figured out how to launch rockets into orbit, the Space Race between the US and USSR began! Who will be the first to fly outside of Earth’s atmosphere, walk on the moon, or build a working lab in orbit? Follow the story of how the race to the moon became international teamwork in orbit, and find out how to travel at 17,500 mph, take a shower with no water, and go to the bathroom when there’s no gravity. When it comes to human spaceflight, the sky is not the limit!
Once humans figured out how to launch rockets into orbit, the Space Race between the US and USSR began! Who will be the first to fly outside of Earth’s atmosphere, walk on the moon, or build a working lab in orbit? Follow the story of how the race to the moon became international teamwork in orbit, and find out how to travel at 17,500 mph, take a shower with no water, and go to the bathroom when there’s no gravity. When it comes to human spaceflight, the sky is not the limit!
128 pages, Hardcover
Published October 22, 2024
147 people want to read
About the author
Andy Hirsch
89 books25 followersAndy Hirsch is a cartoonist living in Dallas, Texas. He is the author and artist of a stack of entries in hit series Science Comics from First Second Books, covering topics from dogs to geology to outer space. His most recent book, Good Boy, follows a mismatched boy and his dog as they overcome obstacles from bar jumps to anxiety dreams in the exciting world of canine sports. His work is consistently selected by the Junior Library Guild and has appeared on the American Library Association's Best Graphic Novels for Children reading list.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 18, 2025
A superb examination of spaceflight, starting with the first manned balloon trips into the atmosphere, all the way up to our current (somewhat stagnant) state of international space stations. This Science Comics edition smartly skips the framing story, allowing it to dedicate all of its limited space to the good stuff (space stuff).
April 21, 2025
A graphic novel history of the space race between the USA and USSR, with some modern information about cooperation on the ISS and more recent space programs around the globe.
This is a quick survey of the history of the race to be the first to space and then the first to the moon, and what has happened to space programs and goals for space travel since then. Because it is such a quick survey, it doesn’t go super deep. For example, the Apollo 13 mission isn’t even touched on, nor the other early missions that ended in disaster. It also doesn’t touch on the current fate of the ISS (it has just a couple years left as of now). I will say this does give more of a history of how the ISS was built, what life is like for a current astronaut, and what kind of stuff is done on the ISS better than any other graphic novel I’ve seen. There are several other graphic novel histories of the space race that are more thorough. (For example, T-Minus by Ottaviani or Rocket to the Moon! by Brown, and The Mars Challenge by Wilgus to understand why there isn’t more space exploration as of yet.) I’d hand this to the reader who is interested in being an astronaut but maybe isn’t ready for some of the more daunting (aka deadly) history of space flight yet.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The end of WWII and the US/USSR arms race is briefly brought up, but not in much detail at all. This hardly mentions any space flights that ended badly. I think it briefly mentions Challenger but only in passing and that was all I remember. The Soviet launches of animals that didn’t make it back is quickly mentioned, but not focused on.
Ethnic diversity: Most of the people mentioned are white American or white Russian, Katherine Johnson (a Black American calculator) does get a shoutout, and more modern astronauts from a variety of countries as well as Americans of color are mentioned, like Leland Melvin who wrote the intro (Black American).
LGBTQ+ content: It is mentioned that Sally Ride was the first queer astronaut, but also that she didn’t publicize her sexuality.
Other: Some discussion of how astronauts go to the bathroom in space (done pretty tactfully).
This is a quick survey of the history of the race to be the first to space and then the first to the moon, and what has happened to space programs and goals for space travel since then. Because it is such a quick survey, it doesn’t go super deep. For example, the Apollo 13 mission isn’t even touched on, nor the other early missions that ended in disaster. It also doesn’t touch on the current fate of the ISS (it has just a couple years left as of now). I will say this does give more of a history of how the ISS was built, what life is like for a current astronaut, and what kind of stuff is done on the ISS better than any other graphic novel I’ve seen. There are several other graphic novel histories of the space race that are more thorough. (For example, T-Minus by Ottaviani or Rocket to the Moon! by Brown, and The Mars Challenge by Wilgus to understand why there isn’t more space exploration as of yet.) I’d hand this to the reader who is interested in being an astronaut but maybe isn’t ready for some of the more daunting (aka deadly) history of space flight yet.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: The end of WWII and the US/USSR arms race is briefly brought up, but not in much detail at all. This hardly mentions any space flights that ended badly. I think it briefly mentions Challenger but only in passing and that was all I remember. The Soviet launches of animals that didn’t make it back is quickly mentioned, but not focused on.
Ethnic diversity: Most of the people mentioned are white American or white Russian, Katherine Johnson (a Black American calculator) does get a shoutout, and more modern astronauts from a variety of countries as well as Americans of color are mentioned, like Leland Melvin who wrote the intro (Black American).
LGBTQ+ content: It is mentioned that Sally Ride was the first queer astronaut, but also that she didn’t publicize her sexuality.
Other: Some discussion of how astronauts go to the bathroom in space (done pretty tactfully).
December 31, 2024
https://openbooksociety.com/article/s...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Having read many Science Comics, I must say, that while Human Spaceflight: Rockets and Rivalry was filled with lots of information and really great graphics, I found the pace and content a bit overwhelming.
At times I found it hard to follow as it seemed to jump back and forth quite a bit between the history of launching rockets and the rivalry between the USA and Russia re: spaceflight. In all fairness, compared to many other Science Comics – it may just be the topic. I have always really enjoyed the other ones that I have read!
The graphic novel was filled a lot of information. I did enjoy learning about the history surrounding the launching of rockets since the early days of rockets. Guess I am just not that interested in the rivalry between the USA and Russia.
I think readers who are a bit reticent to read would enjoy this format – who doesn’t love a comic book :). The reader gets a lot of information in a fun way and easy to read format.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Having read many Science Comics, I must say, that while Human Spaceflight: Rockets and Rivalry was filled with lots of information and really great graphics, I found the pace and content a bit overwhelming.
At times I found it hard to follow as it seemed to jump back and forth quite a bit between the history of launching rockets and the rivalry between the USA and Russia re: spaceflight. In all fairness, compared to many other Science Comics – it may just be the topic. I have always really enjoyed the other ones that I have read!
The graphic novel was filled a lot of information. I did enjoy learning about the history surrounding the launching of rockets since the early days of rockets. Guess I am just not that interested in the rivalry between the USA and Russia.
I think readers who are a bit reticent to read would enjoy this format – who doesn’t love a comic book :). The reader gets a lot of information in a fun way and easy to read format.
March 20, 2025
3.5 stars
This is a lot of information to pare down into 115 pages but, as always, Science Comics does a good job. They keep the science understandable and focus on the most relevant parts (which ends up being very US-centric). There is a lot about the beginning of space flight and the US/USSR space race, walking on the moon, and how things work in space. At the end there is a lot about collaboration with other nations for the ISS. Due to the short length of the book, there are going to be gaps/omissions but they are neither apparent nor vital to the work.
The graphics are bright, colorful, and engaging. They add to the reader's ability to understand the scientific principles.
There is no *schtick* in this one like some others but there are a lot of references to bodily functions.
This is a lot of information to pare down into 115 pages but, as always, Science Comics does a good job. They keep the science understandable and focus on the most relevant parts (which ends up being very US-centric). There is a lot about the beginning of space flight and the US/USSR space race, walking on the moon, and how things work in space. At the end there is a lot about collaboration with other nations for the ISS. Due to the short length of the book, there are going to be gaps/omissions but they are neither apparent nor vital to the work.
The graphics are bright, colorful, and engaging. They add to the reader's ability to understand the scientific principles.
There is no *schtick* in this one like some others but there are a lot of references to bodily functions.
December 28, 2024
A history of human space exploration, heavy on the science. This does indeed cover a lot of ground, and at a pretty rapid pace. Fortunately, the science explanations are clear and cover the bare minimum, which makes reading this a lot easier than it could have been. Perhaps because there's so much ground to cover, this particular Science Comic doesn't have a silly framing device. That I'm pleased about. If there's an overall narrative, it's how competition and collaboration powered the space race at various points. Private spaceflight gets basically ignored, but that's not surprising. It's only a 115 page graphic novel, after all.
November 29, 2024
A pleasant read. This covers a lot of ground. Perhaps too much, but it makes good choices on how deep to go and stays breezy. I've read a number of books on this subject, so there was really nothing new here. But it did touch on many subjects that other books skip. Art is pretty good too. And no real framing device!
June 7, 2025
This is a great book of race to stars & learn how to travel at 17,500 mph, take a shower with no water & go to bathroom when there is no gravity that sky is not the limit when it comes to human spaceflight.
August 25, 2025
Like all the other science comics, this one hits the right notes of explanation with a little bit of humor. As always, the artwork is cute and fun and vibrantly colored. If you’d like to learn about human space flight and love a good graphic novel. This one is for you.
November 16, 2024
Very informative. A lot I didn’t know, especially activity in the last 30 years.
December 12, 2024
Does a decent job of introducing the information. I like the art. Very American focussed. A number of Russian firsts happen off panel.
August 24, 2025
The author should have gone more in depth and explained why women like Katherine Johnson were kept in the background.
April 6, 2025
https://openbooksociety.com/article/s...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Having read many Science Comics, I must say, that while Human Spaceflight: Rockets and Rivalry was filled with lots of information and really great graphics, I found the pace and content a bit overwhelming.
At times I found it hard to follow as it seemed to jump back and forth quite a bit between the history of launching rockets and the rivalry between the USA and Russia re: spaceflight. In all fairness, compared to many other Science Comics – it may just be the topic. I have always really enjoyed the other ones that I have read!
The graphic novel was filled a lot of information. I did enjoy learning about the history surrounding the launching of rockets since the early days of rockets. Guess I am just not that interested in the rivalry between the USA and Russia.
I think readers who are a bit reticent to read would enjoy this format – who doesn’t love a comic book 🙂 The reader gets a lot of information in a fun way and an easy to read format.
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Having read many Science Comics, I must say, that while Human Spaceflight: Rockets and Rivalry was filled with lots of information and really great graphics, I found the pace and content a bit overwhelming.
At times I found it hard to follow as it seemed to jump back and forth quite a bit between the history of launching rockets and the rivalry between the USA and Russia re: spaceflight. In all fairness, compared to many other Science Comics – it may just be the topic. I have always really enjoyed the other ones that I have read!
The graphic novel was filled a lot of information. I did enjoy learning about the history surrounding the launching of rockets since the early days of rockets. Guess I am just not that interested in the rivalry between the USA and Russia.
I think readers who are a bit reticent to read would enjoy this format – who doesn’t love a comic book 🙂 The reader gets a lot of information in a fun way and an easy to read format.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews