THE SPACE SCIENCE HANDBOOK

A space explorer from the 32nd century reaches out to contemporary young people, assigning them a broad range of space-themed projects and demonstrations.

Florance prefaces each “mission” with extracts from a futuristic Captain’s Log that fills in background on exoplanets, the search for alien life, and other thematically related adventures. The missions begin with a descriptive brief, followed by supplies (most are inexpensive or commonly found household objects) and step-by-step procedures. The projects range from a terrarium and a potato battery to a 10-page construction paper art project that shows your “intergalactic address.” Each project’s closing debrief invites readers to cogitate on the results, and QR codes at the end of the book lead to further online activities and resources. Occasional photos of a blond, light-skinned child with pointed elf ears add cute science-fictional interest. Although the projects overall are generally feasible for less expert hands, too many of the images offer partial views of finished projects or have a discouragingly professional sheen rather than looking homemade. Still, along with being designed to offer plenty of opportunities for ad hoc experimentation, the projects touch on a great range of fields from astronomy to chemistry, biology, and even Einsteinian physics.

STEM fun for young experimenters.