Mission, Earth: Voyage to the Home Planet [Library Binding]

June English (Author), Thomas D. Jones (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0590485717 | ISBN-13: 978-0590485715 | Publication Date: April 1996

A first-hand account of an astronaut's journey on the space shuttle Endeavor recounts his mission to study the health of the planet and contains never-before-seen NASA photographs and radar images.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What happens when grade school friends meet up in later life? Well, if one has become an astronaut and the other a writer, the result, not surprisingly, is a book. This lively journal puts a human face on the current space program by giving readers a firsthand look at two 1994 space shuttle missions. Astronaut Jones's enthusiasm for his work is contagious; it shines through the text, making for a roundly enjoyable and informative read. The missions he and English chronicle?Space Radar Lab 1 and 2, part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth?should be of special interest to individuals and classrooms studying the environment, as well as to general space buffs. The mission's purpose is to map, photograph and study changes in the environment in order to give scientists more ammunition in battling the planet's problems. "You are there" descriptions (take-off is particularly exciting) find their match in photographs and radar images that range from the humorous (Jones attempting to eat a floating tortilla) to the spectacular (a shuttle's-eye view of typhoon Odessa). Well-conceived and thoughtfully executed, this book deserves a wide audience. Ages 8-14.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?Jones is a NASA mission specialist who has served on the crew of two shuttle flights using the Space Radar Lab to study Earth from space. English helps him tell the story of those missions and present some of the information obtained by the lab. Excellent-quality full-color photos taken from orbit (several of which are radar images), aboard the shuttle, and on the ground are included. While life aboard a space shuttle is described briefly, the emphasis here is on the scientific mission and how it was carried out. Pollution patterns, shifting ocean currents, destruction of rain forests, and other environmental changes were the heart of Jones's project, and this book might be used more successfully to supplement the curriculum in those areas than in units on space flight per se. It provides a unique look at a new method of research and an opportunity for youngsters to read one scientist's account of what it's like to engage in this exciting field of endeavor.?Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590485717
• ISBN-13: 978-0590485715
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely valuable tool for teachers., January 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mission, Earth: Voyage to the Home Planet (Library Binding)

As a schoolteacher, I have used this book with children in the classroom, and found it a very useful tool to engage children in discussions about spaceflight, science, and environmental issues. It is a very well-written book, with beautiful and useful photos, that every teacher should own. I'm hoping it will become a set book on the curriculum.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I would highly recommend this book!!!, January 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mission, Earth: Voyage to the Home Planet (Library Binding)

NASA astronaut Tom Jones has created a fabulous book here, one which both children and adults will enjoy, and which for most of us will be the nearest we will come to experiencing the wonders of spaceflight. Jones guides us through his two Shuttle missions with breathtaking clarity, using words and pictures to describe living and working in space. The environmental aims of his missions highlight problems we face on Earth, and how space flights can help solve them. This book would be a wonderful tool for schoolteachers or parents to introduce a wide range of subjects- science and the environment among them- to children. Adults, too, will enjoy journeying into space with Jones. I would HIGHLY recommend it!!!