Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Since NASA was established in 1958, it has landed rovers on distant planets and launched telescopes deep into space—all so that we can look back to the beginning of time.


Through images provided by NASA and profiles and sidebars of lesser known contributors to the NASA program, young space fans will learn how NASA started, how it faced challenges along the way, how much it has achieved, and how it will continue to move forward in the future.


NASA’s boundless curiosity and urge to explore lies at the heart of the human adventure. NASA rises to the urgent challenges we face, using its massive reach and expertise to find answers to vital questions like: How can we learn to live in a more extreme natural environment?


Inspired by Rory Kennedy’s documentary of the same name (airing 10/2018), Above and Beyond aims to leave audiences hopeful and inspired about the future of our planet—and convinced that NASA is essential to our continued survival as we mark its important anniversaries and dream of new discoveries to come.

Genres: Space, Nonfiction, Science

160 pages, Hardcover

Published September 11, 2018

Reviews

[Mary Ann]

Inspired by Rory Kennedy’s documentary, this book examines NASA’s development, from the lunar launches of the 1960s, to the International Space Station and beyond. I especially appreciate the variety of people highlighted, such as the Gallaudet Eleven (deaf men who helped research the effects of zero-gravity motion sickness). Engaging and informative.

[Julius Caesar cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at NASA and 60 years of space exploration Beautiful full color photographs throughout. Biographies of people not often heard about - including women and minorities. Well balanced, informative. Incredibly well researched. A thorough piece of work and great addition to any collection. Very enjoyable read.

[Karen Gedeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book narrating NASA's history from discussions first outlining it through today. Beautiful color photos, fun facts, biographies and more. Must have for all young space lovers.

[Arsha Fathima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A basic space book for the beginners who are interested in Space and Stuffs 🙂

All those works which NASA did is incredibly impressive.

"Curiosity is not a sin."~ Dumbledore😉
And here Curiosity Rover is doing it's job perfectly.

"Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do it. And don't do something simply because someone tells you that you should do it. You have to find what you're good at and what you really enjoy doing." ~ Mamta Patel

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Above and Beyond: Nasa’s Journey to Tomorrow by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, 153 pages. Feiwel and Friends, 2018 $20 Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS -OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

This book is a fairly comprehensive history of space travel, starting with air travel and rockets, then moving into the Apollo missions, and ending with discussion of journeys to mars. It features interesting fact boxes, mini biographies, how children can help with global warming. There are lots of photographs and interesting layouts.

Although rated for 4-6 grades, I felt this was more challenging and would be better for middle school. There was much effort put into engaging with young readers with many pop culture references. I liked that the author addressed women and minorities roles (and lack of recognition) as well as global warming. Every name relevant to space travel seems to be here, which shows how comprehensive this book is. I think the biggest flaw is that the cover is dark and unappealing. Additionally, because its spans the history of space travel, student researchers will only be able to find small bits of information for reports. This would make a great gift for a student who is interesting in space travel.

Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Critter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful and fascinating look into NASA’s history. The pages are full of informative details and gorgeous photos. The snippets of historical figures were very interesting and covered people that are not often spoken of. I loved learning about these people who made NASA’s work possible. This was an overall amazing in depth look at NASA’s history and the people who made it all possible. The additional facts and the biographies really pulled this book together. This book is a valuable addition to any space lover’s shelves.

I received a copy from Fierce Read’s Countdown to Liftoff Sweepstakes.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimed at a younger crowd, this is a great book for an overall view of NASA's history. My only issue is the format. With all the extra facts and side snippets from people who've worked with NASA, the through-line gets a little lost in each chapter. It wasn't hard for me to follow, but my 9-year-old got a little turned around at times (and the book is for her age group).

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Large, glossy, full-color pages. Chock full of information. The text is regularly broken up with short bios, fun facts, and space equipment profiles. Lots of photographs of space and space equipment. I actually learned a lot! Highly recommended.

[Eri~Chan Erienix · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome. There is a little movie about this whole topic. Getting to know this is more important than what we know currently about NASA.

[jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breezily written rah-rah book promoting America's space program as well as a strong recruitment tool. Probably aimed at middle-schoolers.