Space For Children

On January 31, 1961, a three-year-old chimpanzee named Ham made history. Strapped inside a Mercury capsule, the little chimp blasted off into the sky, becoming the first intelligent being to ride an American rocket into suborbital space. Ham made a vital contribution to the United States space program. Because there were so many unanswered questions about space travel, scientists could not risk sending humans on a journey into the unknown. Chimpanzees, however, are very similar to humans in the makeup of their skeletons and internal organs.

Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity's survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed. Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a dangerous struggle for survival.

Finn’s best robot bud, Foggy, comes down with a weird virus while exploring a planet full of dancing robots. But he won’t let Finn help him. Foggy only wants to dance the Hokey Pokey with his new robot friends! Now Finn and Explorers Troop 301 have to find a cure before the robots attack. But can Finn also fix his friendship with Foggy? Or will his robot BFF stay on the two-stepping planet forever?

Charlie est de retour ! Et avec lui, tous les héros de "Charlie et la chocolaterie" : Grand-Maman Joséphine, Grand-Maman Georgina et Grand-Papa George, sans oublier l'imprévisible Monsieur Wonka. Ce dernier a fait construire un merveilleux ascenseur de verre qui permet de voler. Mais soudain, une fausse manœuvre projette tout ce petit monde dans l'espace : les voilà en orbite autour de la Terre. Et le ciel est loin d'être vide ! Car à côté d'astronautes en mission, Charlie et ses amis vont devoir faire face aux redoutables Kpoux Vermicieux, la terreur absolue des galaxies...

In the conclusion of the Poseidon's Children saga, the Akinya family receives an invitation from across the stars - and a last opportunity to redeem their name.... "Send Ndege". The cryptic message originated 70 light-years away from the planet Crucible, where Ndege Akinya lives under permanent house arrest for her role in the catastrophe that killed 417,000 people. Could it be from her mother, Chiku, who vanished during a space expedition decades earlier?

Have you ever heard of the Showdown at Separation Point? In 1878, astronomers, James Watson and Urbain J.J. Le Verrier, disagreed about the existence of a planet, being named Vulcan, between the sun and Mercury. During an eclipse over Wyoming with telescopes and sky maps, they were finally able to discover which astronomer was right. Who do you think won this science showdown?

Do you know that astronauts are not the only living beings who can travel through space? Our human microbes do as well! When human astronauts go into space and return, they bring the microbes inside their bodies with them! Learn what these organisms teach scientists and how they can affect the human body both in space and on Earth.

Have you heard of the spidernauts? These two special jumping spiders were sent to space for a special mission—to see how they would adapt to microgravity. Would the spiders still be able to hunt for their food for their survival or would they starve? Learn how this experiment with insects was important to understanding microgravity and its effects on the human body!

Take a ride on a rover with NASA as they explore the planet Mars. Learn how NASA explores Mars for evidence of life especially the existence of water. Scientists believe that life depends on water. Is it possible that Mars had life and why is it so different from Earth? Discover the tools, equipment and methods scientists use to uncover rock, water, and fossils to test as evidence of life.

Did you hear? Pluto is not considered to be a planet anymore—but don’t worry, astronomists used scientific evidence to prove Pluto's demotion. Learn about the scientific method and how it allows scientists to reevaluate theories as new evidence emerges. What do you think Pluto should be classified as? Planet or Dwarf Planet?

An article that describes the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission in July 1969.

Have you ever wondered why the sun is so bright? We know today that the sun is a giant star that is millions of years old, but this is a relatively recent discovery! Learn about the different theories that scholars throughout history developed about the sun and why it burns so brightly.

Have you ever looked into the night sky and wished that you could walk on the Moon? Find about what it is like from the astronauts that were first to do it! Learn about how Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins traveled into space and created history in 1969, and what it was like to take those famous first steps that made “one giant leap for mankind."

A little boy is out for a walk meets a new friend, the Sun! The sun tells the little boy about himself and all of the important things he does for Earth. Did you know that the sun is a star? Explore space with the sun as he tells you about why we have night and day!

When it’s your birthday, you add one Earth year to your age. Have you ever wondered how old you would be in Saturn years? What about Mars? Read on to learn about the planets of our solar system and how long it takes for them to complete one whole orbit.

Many things look very different seen up close. To us, the sun is a giant ball of light in the sky, but to other solar systems, it might look like just another star! Those tiny lights you see in the night sky are what our sun might look like from another planet far out in space. The sun gives light and energy to our entire solar system, and is necessary for many other things. Can you name them all?

Where do all the metals on earth come from? They were all made by stars! In this science story, you'll discover how the fusion of atoms in dying stars in space creates enough heat and energy to make metals.

Over time, cultures from around the world have given us many different myths about our home galaxy. When you look up at the sky at night, what stories would you tell about what you see?

The Sun is our closest star. Stars produce heat, light, and do not orbit other celestial objects.

One way astronomers search for planets is by looking for the shadows they cast in front of stars.