Wernher von Braun. The Man Who Sold the Moon by Dennis Pishkevich

The Martian by Andy Weier

Lev Danilkin: “One of the best translated - despite the "genre" encumbrance - novels this year. Near future. Another US mission to Mars crashes; the crew of astronauts evacuate in a panic, leaving one of their comrades dead. In fact, he is alive; however, it is unlikely that anyone will know about it in the next few years. Despite the inevitable adventures in this case in the genre of “you swing on a pine tree, and fuck on your leg”, Robinson turns out to be handy and big-headed - so much so that soon the fruits of his activity become obvious not only to him; and after a few chapters, the novel, which previously looked like the diary of a doomed man, switches to the second - far from the highest - gear; and pulls very, very well. It is strange that no one had ever thought of writing "Robinson Crusoe" about Mars before; but it’s not surprising that The Martian was immediately reformatted off the wheels for Ridley Scott.”

"Interstellar. The Science Behind the Scenes by Kip Thorne

World fame overtook Thorn with a great delay: the scientific principles underlying Nolan's picture were proposed by the physicist twenty years before the film's release. But now, before the discoverer of the Thorn object - Zhitkov, a professor at the California Institute of Technology and an honorary doctor of Moscow State University, the doors of all film studios in the world are open: you see, in the near future, sifai will finally take the rails of strict knowledge.

Lev Danilkin: “The author “worked for many years in the rocket field” and managed to fit into one book hundreds of stories related to the Soviet rocket project at its early stage - from the preparations for the launch of the first satellite to the fate of the lunar project after the death of Korolev. The book is bursting with curious facts; the only, perhaps very strange, moment is the description of a press conference on March 28, 1961, when foreign journalists tried to find out something about the Soviet space program from the vice-president of the USSR Academy of Sciences Topchiev. Among other things, the author broadcasts questions allegedly asked by foreigners: “Why are the pilots Kartashov and Varlamov excluded from the list of candidates for a space flight?” and “What happened on March 23 at the Cosmonaut Training Center with candidate Bondarenko?”. Of course, this could be of interest to American correspondents - however, the American press in March 1961 could not have had either this information, much less exact names; it won't be long before they find out that one of the cosmonauts of the first detachment died in the isolation chamber.

publishing house Veche, 2011, Moscow

"Exploration of Distant Planets" by Vladimir Surdin

The most famous book of the main domestic astronomer, which brought the author the Enlightener Prize for 2012. Surdin is not only a brilliant scientist, but also a born lecturer who can explain the most complex cosmic processes in an accessible and at the same time correct way, without straightening the corners - be it the history of the solar system, the process of star formation, the evolution of galaxies or the problems of exoplanet exploration. An interview with an outstanding contemporary can be read.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. What 4,000 Hours in Orbit Taught Me by Chris Hadfield

Cosmonauts have long ceased to be pop idols, but the details of their carefully organized life continue to interest the public - and then there was also a guide who was smiling, friendly and with

The secrets and mysteries of space attract not only scientists, but also writers and poets. Such creations take the reader into an unforgettable world of fantastic adventures. The space theme is very often touched upon in world and Russian culture. There are science fiction, fiction, documentary books about space. Many of them have already become artistic value. This topic was addressed by such masters as Kir Bulychev, G. Wells, Burroughs, S. Lem, R. Heinlein, G. Garrison, R. Bradbury and others. Books about space and astronauts attract adults and children.

Popular space fiction

What's up there? Many people are interested in this question. In search of an answer, people pick up fantasy books. Space is incredibly mysterious and alluring. Here are the books whose authors fixed their eyes on the sky:

• The ironic saga "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Douglas Adams). The author sends his cheerful hero on a journey through the Galaxy. He is waiting for a lot of thrills, exciting adventures. The book contains not only science fiction, space, but also a thin philosophical line.
• A work about a smart, cruel and dangerous criminal of the XXVI century called "Glass Jack" (Adam Roberts). All space dwellers know that nothing is impossible for the murderous and criminal Glass Jack, who even tries to compete at the speed of sound.
• Fantasy epic "Dune" This saga has won many fans, is considered the best fantasy novel about the planet of sand. Herbert created an original picture of the distant future.
• The book of the popular science fiction writer "Invincible". The believable portrayal of human contact with other civilizations is a theme for which this writer is remembered. The upgraded "Invincible" is sent to the mysterious planet Regis III, which has no civilized life, but it is very dangerous.
• A novel by the Strugatsky brothers about a bright, interesting, clean world - "Noon. XXII century". This is the most memorable work of famous authors, refers to utopian fiction. It has been loved by several generations of readers.
• Space Detective Jack McDevitt "Flying Dutchman". A luxurious spaceship flies to observe the collision of two stars. The crew of the ship mysteriously disappears somewhere. The hero of the detective has to find out the secret of their disappearance.

Space theme for the little ones

Heroes who explored the universe have always attracted the smallest readers. The secrets of the solar system, stars, planets - all this was stated in the most accessible language by many authors for children. Fiction, space are interesting even at preschool age. What can you recommend to young readers? Here are the most famous books about space for children:

• Narration by I. Ivanov "Petya's Extraordinary Adventures in Space". It is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight into space. From it, children learn about the heroes who made scientific achievements. The hero of the book, Petya, goes on an exciting journey, discovering an unknown world.
• Fascinating stories by K. A. Portsevsky "My about space". From it, the children will be able to find out why day follows night, why it is cold in winter and warm in summer, what galaxies, asteroids, meteorites, comets are.

• The novelty of the space theme - "Star Tales" by E. Levitan. This collection in a very accessible form will be able to convey to the kids the mysteries of the universe. Also very popular is the edition of Levitan "Fairytale Universe".
• Illustrated atlas of Nicholas Harris "The Luminous Book of Space". It explains complex things simply and clearly. Children learn useful facts with the help of various mazes, stickers, games. The creators paid much attention to large illustrations.

Children's encyclopedias

Modern children's encyclopedias tell about spaceships, the work of astronauts in orbit, space stations and spaceports in a very accessible way. Modern encyclopedias and books about space for children are very colorful and bright. A lot of them have been published.

• Encyclopedia for junior schoolchildren SV Zhytomyr "Cosmos". In it, young readers will be able to experience the constellations, planets, starry sky, distant galaxies. There are many interesting facts and wonderful photos here.
• John Farndon's "Children's Encyclopedia of Space" edition. Young readers will be able to learn about the stages of space exploration, hypotheses about extraterrestrial civilizations. There is a description of the International Space Station and the stay of astronauts on it.
• Entertaining encyclopedia of V. I. Tsvetkov "Cosmos". In it, children will be able to learn about the solar system, black holes, the speed of light, celestial bodies. All information is accompanied by bright interesting illustrations.

Works for schoolchildren

When astronomy seriously interests a student, he can recommend the following fiction and popular science books about space:

• Ya. I. Perelman "Entertaining astronomy". This book explains complex concepts and discoveries in simple language.
• Collection of Nick Gorky "Celestial Mechanics". With the main characters - Copernicus, Galileo, Einstein - schoolchildren will be able to travel to amazing space tales.
• Bestseller astrophysicist Stephen Hawking "George and the secrets of the universe." The book is rich in information and a detective-fiction plot. The student will be able to learn about the vacuum, the space suit, the theory of relativity and the birth of stars.

Classics of the genre

Fiction about space includes stories, novels, stories, fairy tales, poems. Many works related to the theme of space have already become classics. It is worth remembering them.

• Fairy tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince". The travels and reflections of the little prince won the hearts of many readers. It makes you plunge into a special touching and beautiful world.
• Books by a Russian Science Fiction Writer Here are some of the huge list: "Alice's Journey", "The Secret of the Third Planet", "One Hundred Years Ahead", "The Girl from Earth", "Purple Ball".
• The Legendary Works of HG Wells. These masterpieces are well known to many: "War of the Worlds", "Time Machine", "First Men on the Moon".
• The writings of the great Ray Bradbury. He is the father of many genres of science fiction. The most famous novels: The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451. Also stories on the subject: "Sleep in Armageddon",
• Remarkable masterpieces determined the development of modern science fiction. It is worth remembering the cult books: Citizen of the Galaxy, Stepchildren of the Universe, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Tunnel in the Sky.

Non-fiction literature about space

Many domestic and foreign scientists addressed the topic of space and documented their materials. Here are the most significant works:

• Documentary work of the classical American master Tom Wolfe "Battle for Space". The author tells about the conquest of outer space in the conditions of the Cold War.
• Project of Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin "Five ages of the Universe. In the depths of the physics of eternity". This creation covers the history of the cosmos from its very first steps.
• Scientific and documentary work by Anton Pervushin "108 minutes that changed the world". The author tells about the preparation for the flight of the first man - Yuri Gagarin.

Memory books

Many astronauts who have been trained before the flight have written books about space. It is worth listing the following memoirs: Valery Sharov "Invitation to Space", Yuri Baturin "The Daily Life of Russian Cosmonauts", "Diary of a Cosmonaut".

On April 12, 1961, a historic event took place: a man went into space. And this stellar pioneer was from the USSR! As a representative of the world's main state of workers and peasants, Yuri Gagarin instantly turned from a simple smiling guy into a symbol of great achievements. But long before Gagarin's flight, Soviet science fiction writers plowed through space.

Per aspera ad astra.
(Through hardship to the stars.)
Latin saying

Proletarians of all planets, unite!

The founder of Soviet science fiction about space can be called the "father" of theoretical astronautics Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. Fragments of his story "Out of the Earth" with a description of a jet rocket were published by the journal "Nature and People" as early as 1918. However, the main "space" book of the early period of Soviet science fiction is traditionally considered Alexei Tolstoy"Aelita", first published by the magazine "Krasnaya Nov" as "The Sunset of Mars" (1922-1923).

Tolstoy wrote "Aelita" while still in exile. At the same time, the “red count”, a rather well-read person, was clearly inspired by the “Martian” cycle of Edgar Rice Burroughs. According to the plot of Tolstoy, the brilliant enthusiast engineer-inventor Los builds a rocket and, taking the Red Army soldier Gusev as a travel companion, goes to Mars. There, the heroes discover the decaying civilization of the Atlanteans and have plenty of adventure: Elk wins the heart of the beautiful princess Aelita, and Gusev, as befits a true communard, organizes a revolution. True, unlike the valiant Captain John Carter, who vividly showed all the Martians the "Burrows mother", the heroes of Tolstoy's space opera did not achieve much success and barely made it to Earth.

Forever living "Aelita"

In the 1920s, other books appeared in Soviet Russia, the heroes of which go into space. He wrote about it, for example, Viktor Goncharov, whose characters - Komsomol member Andrei and scientist Nikodim - help the natives make a revolution on the moon (the dilogy "Interplanetary Traveler" and "Psycho Machine", 1924). Heroes of Alexander Yaroslavsky's novel "The Argonauts of the Universe" (1926) fly to Mars. Near space is explored by the characters in Andrey Platonov's story "The Moon Bomb" (1926) and Valery Yazvitsky's story "Journey to the Moon and Mars" (1928). The collection of short stories of the Grail of Arelsky "The Tale of Mars" (1925) and the story by S. Gorbatov "The Last Flight of the Lunar Columbus" (1929) are devoted to meetings with a different mind. And in the novel Nikolay Mukhanov"Burning Abysses" (1924) for the first time in Russian SF describes an interplanetary war, where earthlings fight the ubiquitous Martians. Moreover, space squadrons are fighting with the use of beam weapons!

In general, the light did not converge on Tolstoy. Why did his book become a symbol of early Soviet science fiction? The point, perhaps, is in such a “smallness” as talent. Alexey Nikolaevich was an excellent writer. Of course, he also had failures, but Aelita is not one of them. Against its background, the books of most other domestic authors are clearly lost. In the chronicle of Soviet space fiction, their names have been preserved, but not in the hearts of readers.

In the early 1930s, several more works appeared, the plot of which is somehow connected with space: "Planet KIM" by Abram Paley (1930), "Country of the Happy" Yana Larry(1931) and Alexander Belyaev's Leap into Nothing (1933). The last two books deserve special attention. The story of the classic of Soviet children's fiction, Ian Larry, is a utopian fantasy, which reflects the author's ideas about a communist society in the near future. Among other topics, Larry touched on the need for space exploration. The story contained hints of a political nature, which is why it was assiduously ignored for many years. Subsequently, the naive Larry dreamed of writing a fantasy novel personally for Comrade Stalin. The story of an alien who sees with his own eyes all the shortcomings of the Soviet system, Larry anonymously sent to the leader, for which he was arrested by the NKVD in 1941 and received 10 years in the camps.

A novel by one of the pillars of Soviet science fiction Alexandra Belyaeva"Jump into Nothing" earned Tsiolkovsky's own approval. This is an adventurous story about a group of bourgeois who go on a journey on the Ark space liner in order to wait out the revolutionary events taking place on Earth. However, fate brings the "Ark" to Venus, where there is a disassembly between the owners and the servants. As a result, the victorious workers, crew members and some "forged" bourgeois return to Earth, where by that time a communist utopia had set in. It cannot be said that the novel belongs to Belyaev's best books, but it is a significant work of early Soviet space fiction.

Space for the Land of the Soviets

In 1934, the first All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers took place, which played a negative role in the development of our SF. First, science fiction was clearly defined by the department of literature for the younger generation. And secondly, they showed the way - to engage in scientific and technical education of Soviet youth in the spirit of socialist realism. It was then that the notorious era of science fiction "close range" began. In addition, the 1930s went down in the history of the country as a time of serious political upheavals, one of the manifestations of which was the wholesale search for enemies - real and imaginary. Therefore, a typical Soviet NF of those years looked something like this. Somewhere at a factory or at a scientific institute, a progressive engineer (scientist), together with fellow Komsomol members and with the support of a wise party organizer, is trying to introduce the advanced square-nest method into the work of the socialist national economy. And next to muddy the waters is the insidious "spy" of foreign intelligence, who is provided with immoral support by unfinished fists and hidden White Guards. But "our armored train" flies forward, and the vile reptiles are brought to light by the valiant employees of the competent authorities. The best example of such fiction is "The Secret of the Two Oceans" Grigory Adamov(1939). Most of these opuses are deservedly written off as literary junk ...

However, some writers felt cramped in the imposed scheme, so works whose heroes strove to fly rather than crawl, no, no, and yes, they appeared. Alexander Belyaev's novel The KETs Star (1936) is dedicated to an orbiting space station, while his Celestial Guest (1937) tells about a journey to the stars. In the novel by Vladimir Vladko "The Argonauts of the Universe" (1938) a space flight to Venus is described, Boris Anibal in the story "Sailors of the Universe" (1940) sends characters to Mars, and A. Tarasov in the story "Above the Moon Craters" (1941) - respectively, to the moon. But these books did not make the weather. And then the war began...

Great fracture

After the Victory, space stories in our science fiction still appeared infrequently. In 1945, Sergey Belyaev's military adventure novel The Tenth Planet was published. In the story of the then novice writer Ivan Efremov "Star Ships" (1947), the idea of ​​a plurality of intelligent life in the Universe was promoted. One can also recall Vladimir Obruchev's informative story "Flight through the Planets" and Boris Lyapunov's artistic essay "From the Depths of the Universe" with the theory of an alien ship as the source of the Tunguska catastrophe (both - 1950). But the deliberately mundane NF dominated almost completely, strenuously planted from above. Here are excerpts from a typical article of that time, published in one of the leading literary magazines:

Soviet science fiction literature should reflect the tomorrow of our country ... a period of time separated from our days by one or two decades, or maybe even just years. And some writers orient themselves and orient others towards the image of the distant future... This is not an accidental mistake. This is the desire of a fan of Western European fantastic literature to direct our literature in the same way.
From an article by S. Ivanov (October magazine, No. 1, 1950)

Not a literary article - a denunciation "where it should be"! What kind of dreams about space are there - one wouldn’t thunder in Kolyma for “servile worship of the West”! But time did not stand still. After a series of political changes, a holiday came on the street for real Soviet science fiction writers.

Already in 1954, the outstanding filmmaker Alexander Dovzhenko wrote the script for the film "In the Depths of Space", which, however, remained unrealized. A year later, the magazine "Knowledge is Power" published Vladimir Savchenko's story "Towards the Stars", dedicated to the first star start that takes place ... in 1977! Oh, what optimists the Soviet people were then ... A great contribution to the development of domestic space science fiction Georgy Martynov, whose novels "220 Days on a Starship" (1955) and "The Planetary Guest" (1957) marked the beginning of the popular cycles "Stargazers" and "Callisto". The first of them is devoted to the development of the solar system in the near future, the plot of the second revolves around the visit of the Earth by aliens, who, it turns out, have built communism for a long time.

And in 1957 a novel was published Ivan Efremov Andromeda Nebula, which marked the rebirth of Soviet science fiction. Perhaps it's not just the merits of the book itself. 1957 is a special time for our country. On the one hand, an unprecedented surge of popular enthusiasm caused by social restructuring, which was dubbed the “thaw”. On the other hand, a colossal scientific and technological breakthrough, most clearly reflected in the launch of the first ever artificial satellite of the Earth. It seemed - here it is, happiness! Finally, a truly free Soviet person will take a decisive step into a bright communist tomorrow! And Efremov's book superbly superimposed on general optimism. The action took place in the distant communist future on a united Earth inhabited by fundamentally new people. Hard work here turned into joyful creation, the secret of longevity was revealed to people, they went to the stars, forming the “Great Ring” with other civilizations. In 1959, Efremov returned to his history of the future in the story "Heart of the Snake", dedicated to the contact of earthlings with the "alien" race.

New faces of Soviet science fiction

Another milestone book of the Russian SF of that time is the debut novel Arcadia and Boris Strugatsky"The Land of Crimson Clouds" (1959), the plot of which is connected with the events of the first expedition to Venus. The main achievement of the book is the desire of writers who were still beginning at that time to reorient the traditional adventurous and scientific-technological science fiction to show the formation of human characters. For some time, the Strugatskys fruitfully developed the cosmic theme in a series of works showing events during the years of the birth of the World of Midday. In the stories The Road to Amalthea (1960) and The Interns (1962), some of the heroes of their first novel, along with new characters, continue the hard work of exploring the solar system. But the main thing for the Strugatskys is the problem of moral choice. This idea is especially clear in one of the best early ABS novels, The Far Rainbow (1963).

The Strugatskys: Captains of the Soviet National Front

It is worth noting the novel Igor Zabelin"The Belt of Life" (1960) is artistically weak, but curious in that it is actually the first Russian science fiction book about terraforming another planet. A number of notable works are devoted to the problems of space exploration - from purely scientific to moral and ethical ones: the collection of Genrikh Altov "Legends of Star Captains" (1961), the story of Valentina Zhuravleva "Flying through the Universe" (1963), the stories of Georgy Gurevich, later combined into a novel -utopia "We are from the Solar System" (1965), stories and novels by Igor Rosokhovatsky, Anatoly Dneprov, Vladimir Mikhailov.

Return from the stars

Oddly enough, the flight of Yuri Gagarin and the new achievements of Soviet cosmonautics unwittingly led to some fading of the space theme in Russian science fiction. Space has ceased to be a great dream, turning into everyday work. However, the public need for space fiction was still great, so from time to time worthy books appeared in this genre.

One of the most ambitious works was the epic trilogy Sergei Snegov"People are like gods", which takes place in the distant communist future. The special delight of readers (and the gnashing of teeth of critics) was caused by the galactic war shown on an unprecedented scale for Soviet science fiction. For the initial novels of the cycle "Galactic Intelligence" (1966) and "Invasion of Perseus" (1968), Snegov was immediately accused of propagating space opera "alien" to Soviet people. As a result, the final volume of the trilogy, The Ring of Reverse Time, was released only in 1977.

Romantic fiction related to space, unusual for Soviet science fiction, was written by Olga Larionova: the story Aramis Watch (1967), some stories. As always, the Strugatsky brothers were at their best, once again raising the problem of moral choice in the story of contact with a civilization fundamentally alien to man, The Kid (1971). The heroes of the novel by Evgeny Voiskunsky and Isai Lukodyanov "Splash of the Starry Seas" (1970) were engaged in terraforming Venus in the conditions of another communist utopia - however, it was already hard to believe in it ... vanished civilization. Psychologically credible are Kir Bulychev's fascinating stories about the space physician Pavlysh.

The path to the stars

In the second half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the Soviet space SF stalled. This was largely due to the next ideological "crackdown". Yes, and space exploration from the harsh everyday life before our eyes turned into an ostentatious routine. The "moon race" with the Americans was lost. Difficulties arose with the implementation of the space shuttle program. And representatives of the countries of the socialist camp went into orbit in a crowd - because it was necessary. As for science fiction, the Young Guard publishing house produced a string of unremarkable books, among which was even a science fiction written by Soviet cosmonauts: The Way to Mars (1979), On an Asteroid (1984) and Hello, Phobos! (1988) Levon Khachaturyants and Yevgeny Khrunov, Black Silence (1987) Yuri Glazkov. Curious, but fresh...

The most notable space fiction book of those years is the novel Sergei Pavlov"Moon Rainbow" (1978-1983), which raises questions of the dangers associated with the development of another space. The heroes of the novel, experienced space explorers, actually cease to be people, acquiring "exotic" properties, which does not bring happiness to either them or those around them. It is also worth noting the dialogue Vladimir Mikhailov about Star Captain Uldemir: "My Brother's Watchman" (1976) and "Then Come and Let's Argue" (1983). But this very specific story of a strange crew of an interstellar expedition and their progressor activities can hardly be attributed only to space science fiction, because it has a distinct socio-philosophical character (like many books of the late Strugatskys).

During perestroika, interest in space science fiction faded. The turn of a different fantasy has come - with a blackish tint. Then the Soviet Union also came to an end... Now the bulk of the books of Russian authors are already related to the space opera. But that's a completely different story...

• Alexey Tolstoy "Aelita"
• Ivan Efremov "Andromeda Nebula"
• Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "Land of Crimson Clouds", "The Way to Amalthea", "Interns"
• Alexander Belyaev "Jump into nothing"
• Georgy Martynov "Callisto"
• Evgeny Voiskunsky, Isai Lukodyanov "Splash of the Starry Seas"
• Sergey Snegov "People are like gods"
• Georgy Gurevich "We are from the solar system"
• Sergey Zhemaitis "Crimson Planet"
• Sergei Pavlov "Moon Rainbow"

When writing the article, V. Velchinsky's "Bibliography of Soviet Science Fiction" (bibliography.narod.ru), materials from the sites "Russian Science Fiction" (rusf.ru) and "Episodes of Cosmonautics" (

Hundreds, if not thousands, of books have been written about space, and many more will be written. But how to find boring, understandable and exciting books in this huge "space" library? Our material will help you with this, in which we have collected 10 worthy works about space.

Stephen Hawking "The Universe in a Nutshell"

Release date: 2001
Translation date: 2017
Publisher: AST

The famous scientist Stephen Hawking has written another bestseller about the latest advances in astrophysics. 30 years have passed since the release of his “A Brief History of Time”, and during this time science has pulled ahead and boasts of new discoveries. The book "The Universe in a Nutshell" tells about the changes, improvements and discoveries made in recent years in astrophysics. As before, Hawking speaks to readers in an accessible language and intelligibly explains the theory of relativity, the origin of black holes and the problems of quantum mechanics.

Oksana Abramova, Vasily Loginov “Scientific theories in 60 seconds. 70 facts"

Release date: 2016
Translation date: -
Publisher: AST

The book of two candidates of sciences and part-time one professor, made in a convenient format of mini-articles. Each section briefly and captivatingly talks about one scientific theory, contains useful facts and colorful illustrations. The book is interesting both for teenagers who are fascinated by astronomy and everything connected with it, and for adults who want to fill in the gaps in knowledge and have a well-designed popular science publication.

Vladimir Surdin "Exploration of Distant Planets"

Release date: 2013
Translation date: -
Publisher: Physical and mathematical literature

For some astronomers, hunting for planets has become not just a hobby, but the meaning of life. And if earlier, such discoveries were rare and made a splash, then with the current equipment and super-powerful telescopes it is not difficult to find a couple of dozen planets in a day. And yet this business has its own characteristics, difficult moments, false paths and difficult choices. Distant Planet Exploration is about planet hunters and their exciting work. I am glad that the author did not get carried away by complex words and professional terminology, but simply and easily leads the reader by the hand and chews on all the charms of the search for planets.

Michio Kaku parallel worlds. On the structure of the universe, higher dimensions and the future of the cosmos"

Release date: 2005
Translation date: 2017
Publisher: Alpina Digital

The famous scientist Michio Kaku engaged in a deep study of parallel worlds and other universes. According to the author, there is one Multiverse where you can live, but we still cannot get there with our knowledge. It consists of many worlds, but they are all in hyperspace - outside the four dimensions known to us. The scientist suggests how soon humanity will penetrate there and what needs to be done for this. All this is presented in a form accessible to the reader and captivates with the depth of the author's thought, as well as the scope of his reflections.

Irina Pozdnyakova "Big Atlas of the Universe"

Release date: 2017
Translation date: -
Publisher: EXMO

The endless space holds many secrets and humanity is just beginning to solve these riddles and bit by bit collect the knowledge gained. And despite the fact that we know very little about the Universe, the new data is fascinating and tells a lot about the world around us and our home planet Earth. The "Big Atlas of the Universe" is well illustrated, shows what the planets of the solar system look like and what is on their surface, explains what is in the center of galaxies, how black holes are formed and gives answers to many questions about our Universe.

Michio Kaku Einstein's Cosmos. How Albert Einstein's discoveries changed our understanding of space and time

Release date: 2004
Translation date: 2016
Publisher: Alpina Digital

Another book by the famous scientist Michio Kaku. This time he tells a fascinating story about the life and discoveries of the great explorer and physicist Albert Einstein. At first glance, this popular science work has little to do with space: Michio Kaku immerses us in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, introduces Einstein, his life, work and scientific disputes with colleagues. But it was at this time that the great genius creates his theories of space and time. The author explains in simple terms the essence of Einstein's discoveries, as well as the impact they had on humanity, modern physics as a science and, of course, on space flights.

Carl Sagan Space. Evolution of the Universe, Life and Civilization"

Release date: 1980
Translation date: 2006
Publisher: Helvetica

A popular science book by the famous astrophysicist and popularizer of science Carl Sagan will tell readers about the Universe, its evolution, how galaxies were created, how life and mind were born. In addition, Sagan explores the history of space science and talks about the discoveries of Newton, Einstein and other scientists. He traces the development of astrophysics as a science: from the first, but incorrect guesses of antiquity, to modern space exploration and missions.

Kip Thorne Interstellar. Science behind the scenes"

Release date: 2014
Translation date: 2015
Publisher: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber

If you have watched the sci-fi film Interstellar, then the book will complement it and talk about things that were left behind the scenes. This study will appeal even to those who have not watched the film, but love astronomy and physics, and are also interested in gravity, black holes, other dimensions and time as a physical phenomenon. The author of the book advised Christopher Nolan when creating the picture, but in his opinion the film left behind many questions that interest viewers and just science lovers.

Chris Hatfield Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. What 4,000 Hours in Orbit Taught Me

Release date: 2013
Translation date: 2015
Publisher: Alpina Digital

American astronaut Chris Hadfield spent 4,000 hours on the ISS. During this time, he managed not only to work fruitfully for the benefit of mankind, but also to shoot dozens of videos about life on the station, communicate with people around the world and tell them about the work of astronauts. He even sang a song and shot a video right on the ISS, and the video instantly spread across the Web and gained tens of millions of views. Upon returning to Earth, Chris Hadfield wrote a book where he told how his long journey into space began, what he understood over the years, what he learned and how he realized his dream.

April 12 is celebrated in our country Cosmonautics Day. On this day in 1961, our planet was shocked by unexpected news: "Man in space!" The dream of people to fly into space has come true. On an April morning, the first cosmonaut Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin flew into space on the Vostok-1 spacecraft. The flight around the Earth lasted 108 minutes.

The starry sky has always attracted the eyes of people, beckoning with its obscurity. People dreamed of learning about space as much as possible. Thus began the time of space rockets, satellites, moon rovers ..

Let's teach children about space and astronauts so that they have an idea

It is good if parents read books about space with their children, show pictures, look at the globe of the starry sky. You can play space-themed games with children, read and learn poems about space, guess interesting

Teaching kids about space

Planets and stars

Our Earth is a huge ball on which there are seas, rivers, mountains, deserts and forests. Also people live. Our Earth and everything that surrounds it is called the Universe, or space. In addition to our blue planet, there are others, as well as stars. Stars are huge balls of light. is also a star. It is located close to the Earth, so we can see it and feel its heat.

We see the stars only at night, and during the day the Sun outshines them. There are stars even bigger than the sun

In addition to the Earth, there are 8 more planets in the solar system, each planet has its own path, which is called an orbit.

Remember the planets

All the planets in order

Call any of us:

Once - Mercury,

Two is Venus

Three is Earth

Four is Mars.

Five is Jupiter

Six - Saturn,

Seven is Uranus

Behind him is Neptune.

He is eighth in line.

And after him already, then,

And the ninth planet

called Pluto.

Jupiter is the largest planet. If you imagine it in the form of a watermelon, then in comparison with it, Pluto will look like a pea.

So that children can better remember all the planets, read the poem, let them remember it. You can sculpt planets from plasticine, draw them, you can cut them out of paper and attach them to a lamp at home, for example.

You can see our space plasticine crafts

Children about space

Astronomers

Scientists who observe and study the stars are called astronomers.

Previously, people did not know anything about space, about the stars and believed that the sky is a cap that covers the Earth, and the stars are attached to it. Ancient people thought that the Earth is stationary, and the Sun and Moon revolve around it.

Many years later, astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus proved that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Newton understood why the planets revolve around the sun and do not fall. They all fly around the Sun in their own way.

So scientists discovered the secrets of the cosmos. In the Middle Ages, a telescope was invented, with which scientists observed the stars.

There are still many mysteries in space, so astronomers have enough work to do for a long time.

Astronaut Animals

To find out what a person will have to face in space, scientists sent animals for "reconnaissance". They were dogs, rabbits, mice, even germs.

Dogs are smarter than mice, but not all dogs were eligible for the test. Purebred dogs are very gentle, they were not suitable for space. Dogs were selected by size, they were trained, accustomed to noise, shaking. Most of all came ordinary mongrels.

The first dog, Laika, was sent into space in 1957. She was watched, but she did not return to Earth.

Then Belka and Strelka flew into space. In 1960, on August 19, they were launched into space on the prototype of the Vostok spacecraft. They stayed in space for more than a day and returned safely.

So scientists proved that space flight is possible.

About astronauts for children

An astronaut is a person who tests space technology and works in space. Now there are astronauts in many countries.

The first cosmonaut was Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. On April 12, 1961, he flew into space on the Vostok-1 spacecraft and circled the Earth in 1 hour 48 minutes. Came back alive and well.

Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the village of Klushino, Gzhatsk district, Smolensk region, in an ordinary family of a collective farmer. Grew up as an ordinary child. In his youth, he was fond of classes in the flying club. After school he became a pilot. In 1959 he was included in the group of candidates for cosmonauts. And for his first space flight he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.

Yuri Gagarin will always remain in our memory as the first cosmonaut. Cities, streets, avenues are named after him. There is a crater on the Moon named after him, as well as a minor planet.

Astronauts are courageous people, they train a lot, they have to know a lot and be able to control a spaceship.

The first spacewalk was made by Alexei Leonov in 1965. And the first woman cosmonaut was Valentina Tereshkova, who flew into space in 1963. She withstood 48 revolutions around the Earth, spent almost three days in space, took photographs that were used to study the aerosol layers of the atmosphere.

To fly into space, you need to study a lot and well, be self-possessed, patient, enduring.

Moon

Children always look at the moon in the sky with interest. It is so different: either in the form of a sickle, or large, round.

The child will be interested to know what is on the moon. It can be said that the Moon is covered with funnels-craters that arise due to collisions with asteroids. If you look at the moon through binoculars, you can see the unevenness of its relief.

Stargazing with kids

With children, you need to watch the starry sky. Do not be too lazy to go out in the evening and admire the stars. Show your child some constellations, try to find the Big Dipper together. Tell us that ancient people peered into the night sky, mentally connected the stars, drew animals, people, objects, mythological heroes. Find a map of the starry sky and show your child what the constellations look like, and then find them together in the sky. It develops observation, memory.

In general, it would be great to take the child to the planetarium, if you have one in the city. The child learns a lot of interesting things from the story about the stars, planets.

We do not have a planetarium in the city, it is only necessary to go to another city.

The theme of space contains a lot of ideas for drawings, crafts. You can draw, sculpt astronauts, aliens, the moon. Come up with new names for stars and planets. in general, show your imagination, the theme of space is limitless and interesting for children.

Here are Yulina's drawings on the space theme.

Space games for kids

Children can play games. Here are some games that you can play.

The game "What we take with us into space."

Lay out the drawings in front of the children and invite them to choose what they can take with them on the spacecraft. These can be the following picture-drawings: a book, a notebook, a spacesuit, an apple, a candy, a tube of semolina, an alarm clock, a sausage.

Game "Space Dictionary" will help children to replenish their vocabulary with words related to the theme of space. You can play for several children and arrange a competition, who will name more words related to space. For example: satellite, rocket, alien, planets, Moon, Earth, astronaut, space suit, etc.

The game "Say the other way around."

Teach children to choose words with opposite meanings. Yulia and I played these games, she was good at naming antonyms correctly.

Far -…

tight -…

large -…

get up -…

fly away...

tall -…

famous -…

include -…

dark -…

Tell your children about space, astronauts, learn the names of the planets, look at the starry sky. Let the child grow up curious, and suddenly he, too, will later become a scientist or an astronaut and you will be proud of him.

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