From early rockets to missions to Mars, trace the evolution of technology's most adventurous topic - man's never-ending fascination with outer space. A host of famous spacecraft throughout history show how inventors and engineers have developed and improved on technology to make space exploration such an important part of human history. This book also dissects some major developments, such as the reusable rockets, pioneering animals that paved the way for humans to enter space and also explains the SPace Race, space stations and probes and missions to other planets to give a rounded picture of these amazing machines.

Introduction -- Blastoff! -- Into Orbit -- Space Travelers -- Moon Landings -- Space Stations -- To the Planets -- A Spaceplane -- Space Telescope -- Private Spacecraft -- Mars Rovers -- Living in Space -- The Future in Space -- Glossary -- Further Resources -- Index.