Life Cycle of Stars – NASA image.
This year International Space Day will be celebrated around the world on May 3. Space Day, founded in 1997 and expanded to International Space Day in 2001, is dedicated to sharing the excitement of space exploration. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the holiday “is a time to learn more about our universe and to excite others about space, too.” And what better way to learn about our universe than through official Federal publications?!
Since President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, to create NASA, the agency has worked to achieve a wide array of spectacular accomplishments for mankind, including sending a man to the moon, successfully landing a man-made object on Mars, and creating the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, just to name a few. The agency has allowed humans to see their planet from a perspective they never had before. NASA’s First 50 Years covers these accomplishments. But it also remembers tragedies such as the Apollo fire and the Columbia and Challenger accidents.
Did you know that the International Space Station is a large, multi-functioning spacecraft that orbits the earth? Since November 2, 2000, astronauts have lived in this spacecraft, which is about the size of a house with five bedrooms and boasts a gymnasium and a big bay window. Learn more about the space object, which serves as one of the world’s most inspirational examples of international teamwork, in NASA’s Reference Guide to the International Space Station. This book discusses the creation of the International Space Station (ISS) and the vision for the station, which includes being a hub for scientific research, technological development, exploration, commerce, and education.
The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most well-known names in space. And for a good reason! This spacecraft looks at the sky from beyond Earth’s atmosphere. It has the capability of seeing and snapping shots of stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies with complete detail. The telescope provided conclusive evidence that hubs of most galaxies do indeed have substantial black holes with millions or even billions of stars. The Hubble is fast. No we mean, really really fast. In fact, it circles the entire Earth every 96 minutes. Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble has traveled about 2.83 billion miles. Hubble: An Overview of the Space Telescope provides an overview of the historic space telescope with sections on its history, design, operations, and cultural impact. Explore images of the telescope’s fascinating findings – like its image of the heart of the Lagoon Nebula 4,000 light-years away from Earth, its shot of four of Saturn’s moons passing in front of the planet, and its views of the galaxy M84.
What’s possibly more fascinating than the space missions of NASA? The stories of the brilliant minds behind them. William H. Pickering: America’s Deep Space Pioneer provides a biography of Dr. William H. Pickering, who pioneered the exploration of space at NASA. Shortly after NASA was established, Dr. Pickering was put in charge of NASA’s Ranger program, which aimed to capture live, close-up video images of the surface of the Moon. After getting off to a rough start, the mission proved successful, and America had its first close-ups of the Moon. Pickering’s team succeeded in conducting further lunar missions that paved the way for the Apollo mission that famously landed Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. Learn more about Pickering’s contribution to space exploration in this book.
Want to experience Space Day with your little ones? Order Junior Ranger Night Explorer, an activity booklet from the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. The booklet will guide you through smart stargazing, including what items to bring with you so you can see all the planets and star clusters up close and personal. With Junior Ranger Night Explorer, your little rising stars will learn how to find the North Star, track phases of the Moon, learn about galaxies, and use all their senses to explore the night environment at a national park.
Even the U.S. Army uses knowledge of space for its missions. Space Warriors: The Army Space Support Team from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and Center of Military History, outlines the organizational and conceptual evolution of the Army Space Support Team (ARSST). These support teams provide warfighters the ability to leverage space capabilities. This helps soldiers enhance their intelligence and operation planning capabilities.
The facts and photos in these publications truly make us feel over the Moon, no pun intended. There is so much to know and learn about our beautiful, vast universe. We wish you all a happy Space Day!
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Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.
About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.
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Space Exploration Day is celebrated on July 20th. On this important day in 1969, America’s Apollo 11 mission safely landed astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon’s surface. Today space venture has become the norm with multiple private projects of individuals preparing for open space endeavors.
Posted by Trudy Hawkins 
govbooktalk
Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 