Astronauts
(Book)

Includes index.

SAMPLE TEXT: Astronauts are highly trained, brave men and women. They are dedicated to helping the world discover what is out in space beyond Earth. Since the 1960s astronauts have traveled into space. The first manned flight in a space capsule lasted less than two hours. Today, astronauts live and work in huge space stations for months at a time. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the Unted States and the European Space Agency run two of the world's space programs. At first, no one knew if space would be safe for people. Scientists decided to send animals into space, and see how it affected them. In 1947, fruit flies became the first space travelers! They survived the trip, which lasted only a few minutes. In 1961, a chimpanzee named Ham spent almost 17 minutes in space. Then his space capsule splashed safely into the ocean.

Introduces astronauts and the work they do in space.