From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5. These demonstrations and activities won't propel young scientists off the planet, but they do, simply and often artfully, explore our universe's structure and underlying physical principles, as well as some of the challenges facing space travelers. Using such materials as toothpicks, rubber bands, and drinking straws, Wiese puts gravity, Newton's first law (inertia), the gyroscopic effect, the Doppler effect, and other phenomena through their paces. He explores the effects of zero-g on astronauts' bones and eating habits and provides directions for making a balloon rocket, a cardboard robot arm, a vinegar-and-baking-soda launcher, and even a very small comet, all with helpful line drawings and, where appropriate, boldface cautionary advice. Some projects, such as one that involves growing seedlings on a revolving turntable for three weeks, do veer toward the impractical, or, like "Postcards from Another Planet," are more spin than substance, but they are balanced by a fair number of winners: unroll an entire roll of toilet tissue, call each square a tenth of an astronomical unit, place markers where each planet would go, and voila "Toilet Paper Planets." A low-tech companion to books like David McKay's Space Science Projects for Young Scientists (Watts, 1986).?John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 4^-6. In an engaging style, this book introduces astronomy and space technology through a series of down-to-earth projects. Wiese demonstrates that it doesn't take high-tech equipment to play around with the principles of gravity, orbits, living in space, travel to the moon and the planets, and observation of the stars. Each activity includes a list of materials, a procedure to follow, and an explanation of what's happening and how it applies to space science. Line drawings illustrate the text. A good resource for elementary school science teachers and for middle-grade students seeking simple science fair projects.
Carolyn Phelan
