This week marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. July 20, 2019 is actually the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who were the first two people to walk on the moon, became heroes and gave many people a love for space exploration.
Millions of people were fascinated by space and what it took to make that historic event happen. Hundreds, if not thousands of books have be written about space, the race for space, the lives of the astronauts, and all kinds of facts about space life.
Over the years several of my kids have been fascinated with astronauts and space. In honor of the anniversary of landing on the moon, we are highlighting some books and podcasts about space, NASA, and some of the missions and astronauts that made space exploration possible.
We can’t talk about space without talking about the podcast Houston We Have a Podcast. Have you heard of it? It is a podcast put out by NASA and the Johnson Space Center and we love it. They cover all kinds of topics from space food to interesting space facts to interviewing all kinds of scientists that for NASA and on space projects.
This week I listened to their episode about Apollo 11 and the future of NASA. It is a short 20 minute episode that I found interesting.
This morning while exercising I started listening to the episode about lesser known stories of Apollo 11, and I found it really interesting. It talks about some of the behind the scenes information and shares the stories of the people that made the mission possible.
If you like listening to podcasts, give Houston We Have a Podcast a try.
Although not a podcast, the History Channel also has some interesting facts and information about Apollo 11.
Now for a few books about NASA and space exploration.
Two of my kids have read and really enjoyed the book Apollo 13. This book gives a great perspective into the flight and mission. If you love books about space, this is a great one.
Grace and I have both read Rise of the Rocket Girls and both of us really enjoyed it. This book is a fascinating behind the scenes look at the women who worked as “human computers” during the early days of the race to space.
If you love books about space, math, and science, this is a great read. This is also a great book for teenage girls that love and are good at math and science.
Hidden Figures is another book about the people the helped in the early days of the space program. This book covers the story of the women who were some of the brightest women of their day who helped win the race to space.
They worked for NACA which was later changed to NASA. It not only described this organization, but also some of the incredible black women who worked for both of these organizations.
This is another great book for those that love nonfiction books about math and science. It is also a great book for teens or girls that love math and science.
Endurance by Scott Kelly came out a couple of years ago, and I bought it for my son to read. This is memoir by the astronaut who spent a record breaking year on the International Space Station. This book got a lot of attention when it first came out and has been described as more of a real life look of life in space.
My son has started this one, but hasn’t finished it yet, so I can’t give it a full review. I have been told that there is some language and a few descriptive scenes that were not necessary to the story that could have easily been left out. This one is on my to read list because I haven’t read a lot about space and space exploration.
Have you read any great book about space and space exploration?
Failure Is Not An Option by Gene Krantz. He tells about being a part of the creation of the space program, literally writing the instruction and procedure manuals as they went. It’s a fascinating look at the ingenuity and creativity that built NASA from the very beginning.
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel. A very good book about what life was like for the wives who held down the homefront while their husbands were training for and flying into space. The relationship dynamics between the wives and the public persona expected by NASA were particularly interesting and gave much insight into what the wives and families endured during the space program’s early years.
Thank you! I have had The Astronaut Wives Club on to tbr list, but haven’t read it. I had not heard of Failure is Not An Option, but I just ordered it. It sounds like a book my husband and one of my kids would love. Thanks for sharing those recommendations!