"Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as "Human Computers," calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws, these "colored computers," as they were known, used slide rules, adding machines, and pencil and paper to support America's...

Four female African-American mathematicians literally made it possible to launch US rockets and astronauts into space. Hidden Women tells the thrilling tale of how women contributed, the struggles and resistance each experienced, and the amazing result.

"A picture book biography of Nancy Grace Roman, the astronomer who overcame obstacles such as weakening eyesight and teachers who did not believe astronomy was an appropriate career for a woman to lead the NASA team to build the Hubble Space Telescope. This is the empowering story of a female scientist's triumphs at a time when society discouraged women from pursuing scientific careers. It is also the story of an important milestone in the field of...

"A volume describing the innovations of Robert Hoyt. Hoyt is developing a robotic technology called SpiderFab that builds spacecraft while in orbit around Earth"--

"How are astronauts going to explore Mars? Previous space suits have been bulky and cumbersome-- but maybe we can fix that with new designs. Learn how engineer Dava Newman plans to create a new space suit that will enable us to explore the Red Planet in comfort and style"--

"Would you like to live in space? Today, only a few astronauts live there at a time, crammed into tiny spacecraft and space stations. But larger and more comfortable quarter are needed to truly open up space for development. Learn how architect Anthony Longman plans to create an expandable space habitat that will allow thousands of people to live, work, and play in space"--Back cover.

"Flying probes would be a good way to gather lots of information about some planets and large moons in our solar system. But flying is a particular challenge in Mars's thin atmosphere. Learn how aerospace engineer Chang-Kwon Kang plans to build fliers for Mars inspired by butterflies and bees"--

"Probes to the outer solar system take many years to reach their destinations. They get there with only enough power for basic instruments and grainy communication back to Earth. What if we could get high-definition video of Saturn's rings? Learn how aerospace engineer Stephanie Thomas plans to create a rocket that can get to the outer planets much faster and provide plenty of power"--Back cover.

The true story of a girl whose mastery of a domestic art propelled her to the elite NASA sisterhood who shielded the space shuttle astronauts from heat and radiation. Did you know that the white material on the outside of space shuttles was not metal or glass but actually fabric? Specialised quilts, two inches thick, covered the space shuttles and protected the astronauts from deadly heat and radiation. Jean Wright was one of the eighteen "Sew Sisters"...