Searching Beyond the Stars: Seven Women in Science Take On Space's Biggest Questions
Want to learn more about the science and the history behind these scientists awe some achievements Or maybe you’d like to read some of the strangest space facts out there Look for these sidebars throughout the book A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY The sidebars with this icon give context for each scientist’s work and life whether that’s talking about the findings that paved the way for their own discoveries or the social realities that impacted the way their careers took shape BEHIND THE SCIENCE From physics to chemistry to geology and beyond these sidebars give insight into the factors that influenced the scientists methods and approaches SPACE ODDITY Space science is full of out-there attempts and unusual phenomena just look to these sidebars for proof DEFINITION Words in bold are further defined in the glossary at the back of the book NAVIGATING THIS BOOK 5
LEADING THE RACE KATHERINE JOHNSON TAKES US INTO ORBIT 6
AN EYE FROM ABOVE It’s October 4 1957 Across the world people crane their heads upward searching for a faint light crossing the sky among the stars It’s not a comet or an asteroid it’s Sputnik the first artificial satellite to be launched into space Many people look on in fear as the beachball-sized satellite built by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U S S R also known as the Soviet Union looks down on them The U S S R is considered a powerful enemy to the United States and Americans fear that this launch could usher in a new type of warfare Were the Soviets using Sputnik to monitor their every move Katherine Goble is one of the people silently tracking the steadily moving dot across the night sky But Katherine doesn’t feel afraid For her it is the dawn of a new age the Space Age 7
