Rocket Science is a combination of history, science, human drama, and future challenges. Readers learn how fireworks in ancient China developed into the fire arrows used by Genghis Khan to invade Europe, where the Italian word for the long, thin tubes evolved into 'rocket'. They meet Sir Isaac Newton, whose laws of gravity and motion are fundamental in understanding how rockets work, and discover how he along with the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and other science fiction writers inspired many of the pioneers of modern rocketry. They'll learn about Operation Paperclip, the secret mission that brought Wernher von Braun and his team of rocket scientists to the U.S. after World War II; about Sputnik, the tiny satellite that electrified the world and launched the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union that ended with a walk on the Moon and a rendezvous in space; about liquid and solid propellants, liftoffs and reentries; shuttles and the Soyuz; the International Space Station; and, about the new challenge to find better, faster ways to get to the Moon, Mars, and deep space.