An informative and entertaining look at the history of White Sands Missile Range. Not only does the author delve into V-2 rockets, missiles gone astray into Mexico, and the introduction of African oryx, but he also tells how the Apache fought buffalo soldiers there in 1880, how Sheriff Pat Garrett investigated the Albert Fountain murder and how ranchers lived on the parched lands raising both cattle and goats.The history of the first atomic bomb test at Trinity Site is covered in detail as well the various searches for the fabulous and mythical Victorio Peak treasure of gold bars. Eckles even provides the military history behind programs responsible for the Roswell UFO phenomenon. The author worked in the missile range's Public Affairs Office for 30 years and had access to most of the Range. He interviewed many of its early pioneers, men and women who made White Sands the birthplace of America's missile and space activities. In the process, he collected many stories that provide that extra insight into the historical events he writes about. This is a rare look under the covers at the largest military installation in America. The missile range's isolation and sensitive testing mission have made it relatively invisible to most. Pocketful of Rockets reveals some of that history and provides a look at the landscape before the military moved in.

Big Rockets, Deep Pockets is a fanciful roman 'a clef ramble through the space age, highlighting some of the characters and adventures that took place not only in space but at suppliers facilities across the nation. From the Oklahoma redneck welder Grady Green, whose competitors believe to be a crafty and devious manipulator but must respect, if not his methods, the results they achieve as president and CEO of Tulsa Fabricators, to Cray Reynolds, young rodeo cowboy and his partner Fess, whom Grady subsidizes illicitly but unknown to them, by misapropriation of Government funds. Such activities worry Milli Angei, Grady's beautiful Girl Friday whose job it is to manage the technical and legal details that Grady chooses to ignore. Milli's leisure time activity is membership in and exclusive nudist resort. And Ben Okara, decorated Nisei war veteran, now supervisor of on-site inspection for Space Air Corporation. Avoiding conflict of interest, the friendship between Grady and Ben is an anomaly to say the least. We also meet Hans Frederick, President of Tech Nitro Technology (TNT), Ben's closest and most trusted friend. Hans has a capricious side, he is also owner of a bar employing sixty scantily clad girls.

On July 16, 1945, just weeks before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that brought about the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, the United States unleashed the world’s first atomic bomb at the Trinity testing site located in the remote Tularosa Valley in south-central New Mexico. Immensely more powerful than any weapon the world had seen, the bomb’s effects on the surrounding and downwind communities of plants, animals, birds, and humans have lasted decades. In The First Atomic Bomb Janet Farrell Brodie explores the history of the Trinity test and those whose contributions have rarely, if ever, been discussed—the men and women who constructed, served, and witnessed the first test—as well as the downwinders who suffered the consequences of the radiation. Concentrating on these ordinary people, laborers, ranchers, and Indigenous peoples who lived in the region and participated in the testing, Brodie corrects the lack of coverage in existing scholarship on the essential details and everyday experiences of this globally significant event. The First Atomic Bomb also covers the environmental preservation of the Trinity test site and compares it with the wide range of atomic sites now preserved independently or as part of the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Although the Trinity site became a significant node for testing the new weapons of the postwar United States, it is known today as an officially designated National Historic Landmark. Brodie presents a timely, important, and innovative study of an explosion that carries special historical weight in American memory.

The world will always remember Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin for their first steps on the moon, yet few today hold in respect the sites that made these and other astronauts' journeys possible. Across the American landscape and on the lunar surface, many facilities and landing sites linked to the Apollo program remain unprotected. Some have already crumbled to ruins--silent and abandoned. The Final Mission explores these key locations, reframes the footprints and items left on the moon as cultural resources, and calls for the urgent preservation of this space heritage. Beginning with the initiation of the space race, the authors trace the history of research, training, and manufacturing centers that contributed to lunar exploration. From the early rocket test stands of Robert H. Goddard, to astronaut instruction at Meteor Crater, to human and primate experiments at Holloman Air Force Base, innumerable places proved critical to developing the equipment for exploring space, surviving the journey, and returning to Earth safely. Despite their significance to the history of human spaceflight, many landmarks face the threat of damage or destruction. Most alarming is that the rapid advancement of technology renders stations obsolete long before they are deemed worthy of preservation. Moreover, the lack of precedence for protecting off-planet artifacts poses a unique challenge for space archaeology. While NASA's 2011 recommendations for spacefarers suggest avoiding close proximity to this cultural landscape, the authors advocate stronger routes of preservation and present models for safeguarding space history--both on Earth's surface and beyond.

When your school’s motto is “Life is dangerous,” you know that anything can happen—and everything does! This raucous tale of education gone awry is “rollicking, ridiculous, and captivating,” according a Bulletin starred review. There’s no school that’s quite like Ribblestrop, complete with roofless dormitories, distracted teachers, and a perilous underground labyrinth. And then there are the students! You’ll meet Sanchez, a Colombian gangster’s son hiding from kidnappers; Millie, an outcast arsonist and self-confessed wild child; Caspar, the landlady’s spoiled grandson; the helpful but hapless Sam and his best friend Ruskin, plus a handful of orphans from overseas who are just happy to have beds—even if they are located in the roofless part of the building. With the “crazy-school appeal of Hogwarts and the grim humor of Lemony Snicket” (The Independent), Ribblestrop, which was awarded the Children’s Fiction Prize by The Guardian, is sure to delight the most mischievous among us.

180 Days of Spelling and Word Study is a fun and effective daily practice workbook designed to help students improve their spelling skills. This easy-to-use third grade workbook is great for at-home learning or in the classroom. The engaging standards-based activities cover grade-level skills with easy to follow instructions and an answer key to quickly assess student understanding. Each week students learn 15 words, focusing on spelling rules, patterns, and vocabulary. Watch students become better spellers with these quick independent learning activities.Parents appreciate the teacher-approved activity books that keep their child engaged and learning. Great for homeschooling, to reinforce learning at school, or prevent learning loss over summer.Teachers rely on the daily practice workbooks to save them valuable time. The ready to implement activities are perfect for daily morning review or homework. The activities can also be used for intervention skill building to address learning gaps.

Award-winning photographer Craig Varjabedian has spent decades photographing the many moods of the magnificent and ever-changing landscape of New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument. His photographs reveal snow-white dunes of gypsum, striking landforms, storms and stillness, panoramic vistas and breathtaking sunsets, intricate wind-blown patterns in the sand, ancient animal tracks, exquisite desert plants, and also the people who come to experience this place that is at once spectacular yet subtle. Varjabedian’s evocative color images provide the reader with an almost palpable sense of this extraordinary place. These photographs are enriched by several essays written by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, noted poet and author; Dennis Ditmanson, retired White Sands National Monument superintendent; Jim Eckles, retired Missile Range public affairs officer; and Craig Varjabedian, the photographer who shares his insights and experiences of photographing this inspiring landscape and offers tips on making better pictures of White Sands.