Star Bound: A Beginner’s Guide to the American Space Program, from Goddard’s Rockets to Goldilocks Planets and Everything in Between

From the heady days of the Mercury and Apollo missions to the commercial space and tourism industry of today, the U.S. space program has ignited the imagination of the public for a half century. U.S. Navy nuclear technician–turned–space journalist Carney (cohost of the Space and Things podcast) and novelist and space writer McCandless (author of Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space) provide a gateway into the fascinating story of U.S. space exploration and travel. They trace the history of rocketry, from the backyard experiments of Robert Goddard in the 1920s to the former Nazi engineering mastermind Wernher von Braun, whose Saturn V rockets propelled Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon. Carney and McCandless highlight the space race between the U.S. and the USSR, capturing the triumphs and tragedies that led to the Americans being the first to land a man on the moon. Interspersed between the well-documented chapters are fun interludes, such as a playlist of space-themed songs and selections of archival photographs. A detailed bibliography encourages readers to explore further reading.