Take a trip to outer space with this weird and wonderful guide to our universe, the perfect gift for both young and old Vargic's beautifully innovative designs will help to explain all of the bizarre and fascinating aspects of the cosmos; from the history of the universe to what makes up our solar system and even how human life fits into the wider picture. Be taken on an unforgettable journey through space with chapters on . . . * Exploring the Cosmos * The Night Sky * Maps of the Inner Solar System * Timeline of the Universe * Cosmologies throughout History * Journey Into Outer Space * Scale of the Universe This is a book that celebrates the scale and spectacle of the universe on every page, and one which you'll treasure forever. _______ '5***** In more than one hundred pages filled with facts and illustrations he takes the reader on a journey through the history of the cosmos' BBC Sky at Night 'Packs in so much of our astronomical knowledge, so many tidbits about the history of astronomy and space exploration that I felt wonderfully enriched by it all. It is visually striking and beautifully illustrated' Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

"Let's go!" With that, the boyish, grinning Yuri Gagarin launched into space on April 12, 1961, becoming the first human being to exit Earth's orbit. The twenty-seven-year-old lieutenant colonel departed for the stars from within the shadowy world of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Barbed wires, no-entry placards, armed guards, false identities, mendacious maps, and a myriad of secret signs had hidden Gagarin from prying outsiders-not even his friends or family knew what he had been up to. Coming less than four years after the Russians launched Sputnik into orbit, Gagarin's voyage was cause for another round of capitalist shock and Soviet rejoicing. The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling relates this twentieth-century icon's remarkable life while exploring the fascinating world of Soviet culture. Gagarin's flight brought him massive international fame-in the early 1960s, he was possibly the most photographed person in the world, flashing his trademark smile while rubbing elbows with the varied likes of Nehru, Castro, Queen Elizabeth II, and Italian sex symbol Gina Lollobrigida. Outside of the spotlight, Andrew L. Jenks reveals, his tragic and mysterious death in a jet crash became fodder for morality tales and conspiracy theories in his home country, and, long after his demise, his life continues to provide grist for the Russian popular-culture mill. This is the story of a legend, both the official one and the one of myth, which reflected the fantasies, perversions, hopes and dreams of Gagarin's fellow Russians. With this rich, lively chronicle of Gagarin's life and times, Jenks recreates the elaborately secretive world of space-age Russia while providing insights into Soviet history that will captivate a range of readers.

The moon landing remains the most astonishing and impressive accomplishment of manned space travel to this day. In July 1969, just eight years after President John F. Kennedy announced the bold plan, the first astronaut set foot on another celestial body. While Project Apollo: The Early Years covered the exciting developments from the first project drawings to the unmanned first flight of the mighty Saturn V, this book covers the later years of the Apollo era, in all its fascinating detail, including the test flights in Earths orbit; the first orbits of the moon; the legendary Apollo 11 mission; the drama of Apollo 13; and Apollo 17, the last manned moon flight in 1972. Experience this era through exciting accounts, radio transcripts, and impressive photographs and diagrams.