I, Humanity

Part of a set of books launched to the International Space Station through NASA’s Story Time from Space program, read aloud by astronauts for children around the world

Written in the first person with the viewpoint of a narrator who represents the human race throughout history, I, Humanity tells the story of what we now know about the universe and how we learned it. It begins with the ancient view of a small, flat Earth, and page-by-page shows how we’ve gradually learned about our planet, its orbit, and its place in the vast universe. The book is designed to work on three different levels: education, perspective, and inspiration. The educational aspect comes in the factual content of the story, the perspective element involves enabling children learn to see themselves and our planet in a new light, and the inspirational component comes in helping children dream of how they can help make the world a better place.