Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as "Human Computers," calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws, these "colored computers," as they were known, used slide rules, adding machines, and pencil and paper to support America's...

"While getting into his car on the evening of February 16, 1978, the chief of the CIA's Moscow station was handed an envelope by an unknown Russian. Its contents stunned the Americans: details of top-secret Soviet research and development in military technology that was totally unknown to the United States. From 1979 to 1985, Adolf Tolkachev, an engineer at a military research center, cracked open the secret Soviet military research establishment,...

On a windy day in Kitty Hawk, N.C. in 1903, the Wright Brothers attempt to make history as they prepare the "Flyer" for the world's first engine-powered flight.

This activity book tells the amazing true story of how two bicycle-making brothers from Ohio, with no more than high-school educations, accomplished a feat that forever changed the world. At a time when most people still had not ridden in an automobile, Wilbur and Orville Wright built the first powered, heavier-than-air flying machine. Woven throughout the heartwarming story of the two brothers are activities that highlight their ingenuity and problem-solving...

Provides a look at the lives of Orville and Wilbur Wright, as seen through the eyes of their younger sister, Katharine, who provided support and encouragement while they worked on their many inventions.

Examines the lives of the Wright brothers and discusses their experiments and triumphs in the field of flight.

A history of rockets and rocket science, from the Chinese discovery of gunpowder to the development of nuclear spacecraft and rockets that sail on the solar winds.

"On-point historical photographs combined with strong narration bring the story of the historic first flight ever to life. Kids will feel as though they are at Kitty Hawk with Wilbur and Orville Wright as the brothers prepare to test their aircraft. They'll also learn about the history of flight and the skepticism that greeted the Wrights when they, at first, refused to release the photograph of their successful flight"--

"The media mocked them. Male astronauts did not want them, and neither did then vice-president Lyndon Johnson. If they were to let women into the space program, blacks and other minorities would be next. Nearly 20 years before the U.S. officially admitted women into the astronaut program, 13 women, known as the Mercury 13, fought for the right to soar into space. This dramatic, large-size photo-essay covers their stories, along with the exciting politics...