Much has been written about the vast scientific importance of space exploration, but very little about the human side of being a m,ember of an astronaut crew. In this book, with the help of journalist Susan Okie, Sally Ride shares the personal experience of traveling into space.
Astronauts live, sleep, eat, and work in conditions totally unlike anything we know here on Earth. Everything they do is affected by weightlessness. The simplest of daily routines, such as preparing meals or getting dressed, is a challenge to human ingenuity. Astronauts live and work as members of a team -- each a highly trained expert in a particular field. The cheerful enthusiasm with which they adapt to the special environment of space is testimony to their total commitment to their work.
Written especially with a young audience in mind, To Space and Back answers questions frequently asked by space enthusiasts of all ages. It also reveals that the remarkable men and women who have chosen to pioneer the frontiers of space are first and foremost unique individuals -- like all of us.
"Ride's zest for the adventure [of space flight] comes through clearly, making this a book that can be read aloud to young children, please an adult, or inspire anyone in between."-- "School Library Journal, Starred Review""The book succeeds in helping us imagine the unimaginable--what it really feels like to blast off in a rocket and float effortlessly in midair while circling hundreds of miles above the earth."--" The Washington Post Book World""This book is an important contribution to all that has been written about space travel, for it is a vivid description of the human side of exploring the unknown."-- "The Chicago Tribune""An engrossing account of a space journey, from blastoff to landing, gives intimate, you-are-there details... [of life] on board the shuttle. A personal approach to what too often seems too far away, this will inspire young readers with the heights of adventure to which an interest in science can take ordinary people like themselves."--" Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, " University of Chicago, "Starred Review"