Space Nonfiction

Dozens of astronauts travel to space every year, but what makes these amazing trips possible? Max Axiom has the answers. Join Max as he explores the science and engineering behind space travel. 

On January 31, 1961, a three-year-old chimpanzee named Ham made history. Strapped inside a Mercury capsule, the little chimp blasted off into the sky, becoming the first intelligent being to ride an American rocket into suborbital space. Ham made a vital contribution to the United States space program. Because there were so many unanswered questions about space travel, scientists could not risk sending humans on a journey into the unknown. Chimpanzees, however, are very similar to humans in the makeup of their skeletons and internal organs.

The sun's family of planets become a familiar place in this personal account of the lives of other worlds. Sobel explores the planets' origins and oddities through the lens of popular culture, from astrology, mythology, and science fiction to art, music, poetry, biography, and history. This intimate account is filled with fascination, beauty, and surprise.

Director Solomon gives a guided tour of Star City Planetarium, where he explains such things as what equipment is used in a planetarium show and what some of the different objects in the night sky are. 

Meet our fearless adventurers Cassandra, Otto and Missy AKA the smartest raven in the universe as they set out on their next action-packed Ladybird Audio Adventure! Grab your helmet because in this adventure, we're travelling back in time to the Viking Age, where we will learn about their lives and traditions, as well as their skilled boatmaking!

Famous Venusian thinker and time traveler Valiant Thor (also known as the "Stranger at the Pentagon"), discusses the best way to contact Space People like himself. Written just after his escape from the Pentagon, Thor speaks directly to today's 21st-century spiritual searcher. A must-have for anyone wanting to understand and communicate with the Space Brothers. 

Born and raised in India, Kalpana Chawla was told that she shouldn’t try to become an aeronautical engineer because it was hard for women everywhere to succeed in that field. But she persisted, getting her university degree and then immigrating to the US to keep studying. She then joined NASA and became the first Indian-born American woman to go to space. Though she was tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, she continues to inspire people in India, the United States, and around the world to pursue their dreams of reaching for the stars.

Here Valiant Thor, the "Stranger at the Pentagon", reveals long-sought-after details about his Venusian space fleet, such as the various types of spacecraft assigned to Earth, their general locations, deployment numbers, and crew structures. Also covered are orbiters, shuttlecraft, and security issues such as "thought surveillance".

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface in July of 1969, they wore spacesuits made by Playtex: 21 layers of fabric, each with a distinct yet interrelated function, custom-sewn for them by seamstresses whose usual work was fashioning bras and girdles. This book is the story of that spacesuit. It is a story of the triumph over the military-industrial complex by the International Latex Corporation, best known by its consumer brand of "Playtex" - a victory of elegant softness over engineered hardness, of adaptation over cybernetics.

Give your kids the decluttering guide that will encourage their independence and create a more peaceful home for your family. Allie Casazza has created a resource for you to show kids how to create and design their own space, offering practical ideas on organization and productivity, kid-friendly inspiration for mindfulness, and interactive pages for creativity.

In this classic of the UFO literature pantheon, Helen and Betty Mitchell are approached by humanoid space aliens at a coffee shop in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1950s. Taught how to communicate with the space people from Mars and Venus, they receive messages from their new friends. Finally, they are taken on a spaceship voyage. This is the account of their experiences and the messages they were given by the aliens: Abolish nuclear weapons, create educational television programming, and become vegetarians, or possibly face extinction.

In Inside the Secret Space Program: Valiant Thor and the U.S. Air Force, former Air Force pilot Mel Noel, in a transcript from one of his rare public talks, describes his interactions with a shadowy Air Force Colonel, who provided him with many insights about the secret space program and the US government's alliance with the space people. 

On the trail of Soviet infiltrator Agent Blériot, Svetlana Lokhova takes the reader on a thrilling journey through Stalin’s most audacious intelligence operation. On a sunny September day in 1931, a Soviet spy walked down the gangplank of the luxury transatlantic liner SS Europa and into New York. Attracting no attention, Stanislav Shumovsky had completed his journey from Moscow to enrol at a top American university. He was concealed in a group of 65 Soviet students heading to prestigious academic institutions. But he was after far more than an excellent education.

We know trivia is fun, especially for kids, and we also know that learning new things and gaining new knowledge on topics you love is one of the most enjoyable parts about it. Trivia has been around since the dawn of time and continuously brings new and fun interactive ways for friends, family, and children to enjoy together. Unfortunately, finding interesting topics to learn about can take a lot of time and effort to find when searching through blog post after blog post. Luckily, Trivia for Smart Kids puts an end to this problem.

Look up into the sky on any cloudless night, and chances are you’ll see the Moon. Our glowing neighbor in space is as familiar to us as the Sun and the stars. You may even have imagined walking on its surface. But how much do you really know about the Moon? You may already know that the Moon is our planet’s only natural satellite, that it circles the Earth, and that we can watch it go through phases from round and full to thin like a sickle. But do you know how high you could jump on the Moon? Or what the Moon’s seas are made of?

Sometimes it can be a challenge to get a seven-year-old to go to sleep, and these stories are designed to keep children focused while they lie in bed waiting to get to sleep. Background music as well as a soothing narrative style are used to create a calm bedtime environment. The other benefit of these stories is that they are educational, and so young listeners should build up knowledge of, and curiosity for the world around them. The stories span a range of topics including Earth, space-flight, the planets in our solar system, gravity, and a brief introduction to relativity.

Welcome to "A-Z Alphabet, Astronomy & 'I Am' Affirmations for Kids." This journey combines cosmic exploration with self-empowerment, guiding children through an adventure of learning and affirmation.

This audiobook of over 200 space facts is set up as a four-round quiz—have one epic quiz night, or dip in and out of the audiobook together to learn about things such as: What did Neil Armstrong leave on the moon as a symbol of peace? What is an exoplanet? How many moons does Jupiter have? Who is the youngest person who has been to space? This quiz was designed with my super bright five-year-old, but it is equally challenging for children of all ages as well as adults. This is truly a quiz where a seven-year-old can win against an 80-year-old!

Years ago, when astronauts needed to leave the spacecraft, they used the manned maneuvering unit (MMU). Even though this piece of equipment is no longer used, it is still very interesting.

An exploration of space and time and a journey of discovery through 13 of the most fascinating Christmas Lectures given at the Royal Institution of Great Britain over the last 200 years. Started at the Royal Institution (RI) in 1825 by Michael Faraday, the Christmas Lectures have been broadcast on television since the 1960s and have formed part of the British Christmas tradition for generations.