Galileo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 25 Activities
In memory of the learned Magister Blasius Klettenmeyer 1559 1600 who started me on my journey Two truths cannot be contrary to one another GALILEO GALILEI 1613
FOREWORD By Buzz Aldrin HEN GALILEO first turned his newly invented telescope toward the heavens he saw the vast ness of the universe He discovered distant stars mountains on the moon and spots on the sun His work extended our knowledge of astronomy by leaps and bounds Galileo's belief that the earth revolved around the sun was controversial at the time but his stubborn insistence on the truth laid the foundation for the modern science of astronomy When Neil Armstrong and I set foot on the moon in 1969 it was truly a triumph of science The revo lution started by Galileo had entered a wonderful new phase Instead of simply gazing into space we were now traveling there Instead of looking at moon rocks we were touching them I have always believed that space exploration holds great potential The exploration of space will not only help us understand the science of how the universe works but it will also help us understand our own planet and our selves Galileo was a genius whose curiosity was his guid ing passion We should all be inspired by his thirst
for knowledge If we strive toward quenching our own thirst for knowledge we will no doubt send astronauts to Mars and beyond Galileo’s life story is a wonderful lesson in genius and persistence Though the events in this book took place 400 years ago they are still very current With every small step we take into space we should remember that in Galileo's time just looking into a telescope was a brave step Nothing is impossible if we have the courage to turn our dreams into reality and the will to satisfy our never ending curiosity about the heavens above Buzz Aldrin Ph D Colonel U S Air Force Retired Gemini XII astronaut 1966 Apollo XI astronaut 1969 Born in 1930 Buzz Aldrin attended the U S Military
