Books in Countdown to Space series

A biography of the first African American astronaut, Guion Bluford, Jr., who flew aboard the Challenger space shuttle in 1983.

Chronicles the life of the teacher who was to be the first civilian in space but died in the Challenger explosion, her love of teaching, her acceptance to the space program, and the resumption of the space program after the tragedy.

Describes the landing of Sojourner on Mars, summarizes the history of information gathering missions, and speculates about future plans for explorations of the Red Planet.

Traces the life of the first African-American woman to go into space, from her childhood in Chicago through her astronaut training and first spaceflight to life after working with NASA.

Describes the life of the chimpanzee that was sent into space as part of the American space program, describing his capture, training, the actual flight, and his life afterwards.

Describes the physical properties of the Sun and its relation to the other bodies in space and shows the direct influence the Sun has on life on Earth.

Tells the story of Yuri Gagarin, the first Soviet cosmonaut to orbit the Earth, and describes his reception back in the Soviet Union and his later life

A biography of one of America's first seven astronauts, focusing on the training and career of Gus Grissom, who died in a fire aboard Apollo I in 1967.

Recounts the tragic explosion that destroyed the Challenger space shuttle moments after liftoff, and discusses the investigation into the causes of the disaster.

Details the first flight of the space shuttle Columbia, as well as its tragic final flight.

Discusses the roles of several NASA spacecrafts which carried out probes during explorations of the planets.

Tells the story of the first spacecraft to land men on the Moon, and describes their reception back on Earth