The Fantastic Space Race Summary of the story: The amazing story of Mia, Ben, Emma, and Max, four Stardust Ville teens with big dreams, shows how powerful interest, friendship, and hard work can be. Mia's dream of becoming an astronaut and Ben's love of making things lead them on an amazing journey to explore space and find out more about themselves. After meeting the brave astronaut Captain Orion by chance, Mia and Ben are asked to take part in a fun space race. They join Team Stellar with their new friends Emma and Max and go on an exciting trip to fight against other young explorers from faraway worlds. Their trip is full of danger, tests of their knowledge, amazing scenery, alien species, and cosmic wonders. The team moves forward because of how determined they are, how well they work together, and how much they always support each other. As Team Stellar moves through the steps of the Space Race, their dreams become tied to a higher goal. They understand how important it is to protect the wonders of space and become advocates for space travel and the preservation of the universe. After Mia and Ben won the Space Race and became recognized astronauts and inventors, they kept learning and having fun. They work together on missions that break new ground to find new planets and solve riddles in space. Every time they do something new together, their relationship gets stronger. This shows how important it is to be together and share memories. Years later, Mia and Ben put on their own Stardust Ville Space Race. They teach young people what they've learned and encourage them to be innovators. People from all over the world come to the event every year to show off their skills and work together to overcome challenges. Team Stellar's teamwork and determination are mirrored in a group of kids from different backgrounds. Through their shared experiences, Mia and Ben spread a love of space flight, inspire the next generation, and make the Stardust Ville Space Race a symbol of curiosity, teamwork, and the fact that the universe is full of possibilities. Their adventure has left a mark on Stardust Ville and beyond that will never be forgotten. Their memory lives on in the hearts of people who want to be explorers, scientists, or big-dreaming visionaries. The story of Mia, Ben, Emma, and Max is a monument to the power of friendship, determination, and the pursuit of goals to change people's lives. It is also a testament to the wonders that await those who are brave enough to travel into the unknown. How the story started: Once upon a time, in a small town called Stardust Ville, Mia and Ben were close friends who were both very interested in and eager to learn more about the universe. Mia had always wanted to be an astronaut so she could travel space and discover new worlds. She looked up at the stars and imagined that she was weightless and floating among them. This made her eyes shine with wonder. She read books about space and learned facts about planets, galaxies, and the secrets that lie beyond Earth's atmosphere. Ben, on the other hand, was fascinated by how creation seemed to have so many options. His mind was full of ideas for new products and tools. From a young age, he liked to take things apart and put them back together, always trying to figure out how they worked. He dreamed of making things that would change the world and make everyone's life easier and more fun. Mia and Ben would play in their backyard for hours, making up stories about it being an alien world or a secret laboratory. In their backyard adventures, they would build cardboard spaceships and go on epic, made-up journeys through the world, meeting strange creatures along the way. Mia's desire to become an astronaut came from her interest in the unknown and her desire to learn more about it. She knew that space was the last frontier and that it was full of secrets and riches. She wanted to see the majestic beauty of faraway worlds, float in space with no gravity, and see for herself how grand the universe is. Mia's desire to become an astronaut grew stronger every day as she read books, watched movies, and listened to music about space. Ben, on the other hand, saw invention as a way to unlock the secrets of the world and share them with everyone. He thought that if he made things, he could connect the glory of space to people's everyday lives on Earth. Ben would spend hours in his room drawing and making models of his ideas, always trying to amaze and inspire other people. He wanted to be a creator because he wanted to push the limits of what was possible and leave a lasting mark on the world. As Mia and Ben talked about their plans, they realized that they were both interested in the same things. Mia knew that she would need new ideas and tools to explore space, and Ben knew that his ideas could reach new heights if they were used in the vast universe. They praised and helped each other, and they often worked together on projects that helped both of them reach their goals. Mia and Ben were doing their favorite thing, which was to look at the stars, on a nice day. They felt at home in Mia's garden, where they sat on a soft blanket and looked up at the night sky. As they looked up at the stars, they saw something that caught their attention. It was a shooting star; a brilliant light show that swept across the sky. The shooting star left behind a bright trail of dust that sparkled and moved in the moonlight. Mia's eyes became big with joy as she pointed to what she saw. "Wow, that shooting star looks so magical!" she said with a tone of surprise and awe. Ben, who was just as amazed, nodded in agreement and couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful scene. They watched as the shooting star moved across the sky, leaving a bright trail that filled the night with a beautiful, magical light. Mia and Ben couldn't help but wonder if this shooting star was more than what it seemed to be. People thought that it might have a secret or be sending a word from another world. Mia and Ben agreed to go on a mission to figure out what was going on with the shooting star because they both liked to try new things. They put a notebook, a flashlight, and a small lens in their bags so they could follow the mysterious guest's trail and see what it led to. Mia and Ben followed the glittering path into the trees around them. They were led by the light that seemed to be calling them on. Every step was full of excitement and fear, and their hearts were pounding with excitement and fear. What will you find at the end of this interesting trip? As they continued their search, the sparkles led them to an area where the moonlight was soft and comforting. In the middle, a strange thing stood in the middle of an ethereal glow. It was a small disk that glowed and hummed in a way that seemed to connect with their souls. Mia cautiously walked up to the mysterious object, her eyes wide with wonder and excitement. She reached out and put her fingers on the surface of the glowing sphere. To her surprise, the sphere answered by glowing with a warm light. It seemed like the shooting star chose Mia and Ben to tell what it knew. At that exact moment, the orb unfolded, revealing a holographic image of an old star map. Mia and Ben yelled, and their hearts were beating fast with excitement. The chart showed a series of faraway stars that made a path to Star Haven, a mythical paradise in the sky. Mia and Ben promised that they would go on a great adventure to follow the star map and find the magical Star refuge. Their hearts were full of courage and determination. They knew that this adventure would be different from anything else they had done before, but they were excited to face the unknown and find out more about the world. Mia and Ben didn't know that their lives were about to change for the rest of their lives. The shooting star gave them a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go on a journey through space that was full of fascinating finds and thrilling encounters. They went out into the night, their hearts filled with the magic of the universe. The orb and the trail of sparkles led them. Just as Mia and Ben made their wish on the shooting star, the mood in Stardust Ville changed. A rumbling sound filled the air, and then an old, rusty rocket ship fell from the sky and landed with a thud in the middle of the main area in Stardust Ville. As the rocket landed, dust and debris flew everywhere, showing a slowly opening door. A figure came out wearing a spacesuit with badges and patches all over it. Captain Orion was there. He was a great scientist who was known for being brave and adventurous. His eyes were bright from the many space missions he had been on, and his presence was filled with awe-inspiring power. When Mia and Ben saw that they were in the same room as their hero, their jaws dropped. Captain Orion had a good name, and people had always praised how brave and determined he was. It was more than they could have ever imagined seeing him standing in their small town. Captain Orion smiled at the stunned crowd as he greeted them. He spoke in a way that showed he was sure of himself and had a lot of experience. "Hello, people of Stardust Ville!" he shouted. "I'm here to tell you about an amazing Space Race between young explorers from different planets. The winners will get to visit Zephyria, a newly discovered planet." As word spread like flames, the whole town cheered. Mia and Ben were happy to see that their dreams of going to space were coming true. Captain Orion saw how excited they were and walked up to them with his eyes shining with interest. "You two seem eager for an adventure," Captain Orion said in a voice full of interest and encouragement. "Would you like to join the Space Race and represent the Stardust villa?" Mia and Ben enthusiastically said, "Yes!" This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them to make their dreams come true. Captain Orion said that Mia and Ben would need to put together a team of four people, each with a special skill, in order to fight in the Space Race. Their knowledge, ability to solve problems, and ability to work together would be tested through a number of challenges.

Winner of the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award A Bloomberg View Must-Read Book of the Year A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year “A substance-rich, original on every page exploration of how the space program interacted with the environmental movement, and also with the peace and ‘Whole Earth’ movements of the 1960s.” —Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution The summer of 1969 saw astronauts land on the moon for the first time and hippie hordes descend on Woodstock. This lively and original account of the space race makes the case that the conjunction of these two era-defining events was not entirely coincidental. With its lavishly funded mandate to put a man on the moon, the Apollo mission promised to reinvigorate a country that had lost its way. But a new breed of activists denounced it as a colossal waste of resources needed to solve pressing problems at home. Neil Maher reveals that there were actually unexpected synergies between the space program and the budding environmental, feminist and civil rights movements as photos from space galvanized environmentalists, women challenged the astronauts’ boys club and NASA’s engineers helped tackle inner city housing problems. Against a backdrop of Saturn V moonshots and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind, Apollo in the Age of Aquarius brings the cultural politics of the space race back down to planet Earth. “As a child in the 1960s, I was aware of both NASA’s achievements and social unrest, but unaware of the clashes between those two historical currents. Maher [captures] the maelstrom of the 1960s and 1970s as it collided with NASA’s program for human spaceflight.” —George Zamka, Colonel USMC (Ret.) and former NASA astronaut “NASA and Woodstock may now seem polarized, but this illuminating, original chronicle...traces multiple crosscurrents between them.” —Nature

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969, they personified an almost unimaginable feat—the incredibly complex task of sending humans safely to another celestial body. This extraordinary odyssey, which grew from the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, was galvanized by the Sputnik launch in 1957. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Sputnik, National Geographic recaptures this gripping moment in the human experience with a lively and compelling new account. Written by Smithsonian curator Von Hardesty and researcher Gene Eisman, Epic Rivalry tells the story from both the American and the Russian points of view, and shows how each space-faring nation played a vital role in stimulating the work of the other. Scores of rare, unpublished, and powerful photographs recall the urgency and technical creativity of both nations' efforts. The authors recreate in vivid detail the "parallel universes" of the two space exploration programs, with visionaries Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev and political leaders John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev at the epicenters. The conflict between countries, and the tense drama of their independent progress, unfolds in vivid prose. Approaching its subject from a uniquely balanced perspective, this important new narrative chronicles the epic race to the moon and back as it has never been told before—and captures the interest of casual browsers and science, space, and history enthusiasts alike.

Blast off alongside space expert Sarah Cruddas on a journey through space exploration history, from the Apollo Moon landings to mind-boggling plans for living on Mars. How did we land on the Moon? What will the space jobs of the future look like? And why did we send a car to space? The Space Race answers all of the big questions that kids have about space travel. Sarah Cruddas brings to life the hidden stories behind the most famous space missions, before taking the reader on a journey through our space future. This children's ebook includes a foreword by NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission. It also includes fascinating insights from Sarah's interviews with real-life astronauts including Apollo 17's Eugene Cernan and Virgin Galactic Test Pilot Kelly Latimer. Space-mad kids will delight in the detail, photographs and information on each page, and will love seeing intricate diagrams of iconic spaceships, Moon cars and space suits created by artist Mark Ruffle. Propelled by recent scientific discoveries and printed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, The Space Race is an essential children's handbook to understanding every aspect of the history, and future, of human space travel.

What lies on the dark side of the moon could change the course of humanity forever. When a Chinese rover discovers an alien technology on the dark side of the moon, it is up to Richard 'Rock' Crandon and his NASA team of scientists and engineers to devise a way to return before the Chinese and Russians. Forced to deal with bureaucratic oversight and a complex team of personalities, Rock Crandon pushes his team to their limits. With pressure mounting, the world is pushed closer to conflict and war as the NASA team finds itself seriously behind in the newly initiated space race. The future of mankind, its ideological and technological advances are at stake, as the world's super powers race to discover what lies on the dark side of the moon. Who will get there first, and at what cost?

On July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong landed gently on the lunar surface and became the first person to set foot on another world. People around the world stopped what they were doing to crowd around television sets and radios to witness one of the greatest achievements in human history—a man walking on the moon. How did we get there? Why haven’t we gone back? In The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon, kids ages 12 to 15 explore the race to the moon against the chilling backdrop of the Cold War. The Space Race was the period during and after the Cold War when America and the Soviet Union participated in a fierce competition to see which country could beat the other into space. It was a time of bitterness, fear, and secrecy, but it was also a moment in history when two countries directed resources toward pushing themselves to reach goals that were once thought unattainable. Would we have succeeded as far as we did without the competition to be first? While Neil Armstrong will be remembered as the first person to set foot on the moon, the people and events behind this accomplishment populate a fascinating tale of politics, science, technology, and teamwork that resulted in what might be the greatest accomplishment of the twentieth century. In The Space Race, middle school students explore this history of science and discover the political, social, and economic factors that led to incredible achievements in space, including the launch of Sputnik, the launch of Explorer I, and eventually, the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, where Neil Armstrong took those famous first steps. Middle school students will meet some of the tens of thousands of engineers and scientists that worked for years to create the technology needed to send humans to the moon and return them safely to Earth. By showing space events against the backdrop of the turmoil back on Earth, readers understand that scientific achievement doesn't happen in a vacuum, even when it happens in space! A wealth of links to primary sources makes this an interactive learning experience while science-minded STEAM activities link the historical and scientific material. Throughout the fun facts, cool photos, and investigative projects, kids are encouraged to explore creative and critical thinking and problem-solving strategies. The Space Race is one book in a set of four that explore great events of the twentieth century. Other titles in this set include Globalization: Why We Care About Faraway Events; The Vietnam War; and World War II: From the Rise of the Nazi Party to the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb.