Publisher's Synopsis
For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the cosmos. However, until very recently, astronomers were limited in what they could know. Since the dawn of the space age, scientists have greatly expanded humanity's understanding of space by launching both manned and unmanned spacecraft. The makeup of comets, the path of a solar flare, the amount of gravity on the moon--these discoveries and more have all come relatively recently. Through compelling main text, augmented by full-color photographs and informative sidebars, readers learn how science and technology have propelled our knowledge of the universe forward at a breakneck pace.
