Impact!: Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World

by Elizabeth Rusch, Karin Anderson (Illustrator)

Overview

In this this thrilling entry into the Scientists in the Field series, follow scientists as they search for dangerous asteroids in space, study asteroids that have crashed into the ground, and strive to prevent an asteroid strike if one ever threatens our planet.

Asteroids bombard our atmosphere all the time. Some are harmless, burning up in a flash of light. But others explode with a great sonic boom, smashing windows and throwing people to the ground. Worst of all, some asteroids strike our planet, blasting out massive craters and destroying everything nearby on impact.

Follow the award-winning author Elizabeth Rusch into the field with scientists as they search for dangerous asteroids in space, study asteroids that have smashed into the ground, and make plans to prevent an asteroid strike if one ever threatens our planet. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544671591
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Series:	Scientists in the Field Series
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	482,962
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Rusch is the author of You Call This Democracy?, a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, and more than a dozen acclaimed children’s books, including picture books, middle grade, fiction, nonfiction, and a graphic novel. In a starred review Kirkus called her book The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change a “nail-biting account of a still-unresolved landmark case.” She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family.

Karin Anderson has worked for the New York Times and the Washington Post. She has received numerous national awards from Pictures of the Year and the National Press Photographers Association. 

www.karinanderson.com

Editorial Reviews

"Another excellent entry into the series. Purchase this to excite space buffs and inspire future scientists." –School Library Journal, starred review  
"Lavishly illustrated with Anderson's photographs, this wide-ranging sample of asteroid science presumes quite a bit of previous knowledge but will reward the enthusiast." —Kirkus  
"Accompanied by photographs of scientists in action and requisite space shots, the book concludes with citizen science connections and resources, and is sure to have an impact on young astronomers." —Booklist —

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
Gr 4–7—Opening with the dramatic story of a fourth grade class's experience of the 2013 asteroid that landed in Chelyabinsk, Russia, this installment in the celebrated series tells of the study and the effects of asteroids in our solar system. This book describes the work done by several individual scientists who research asteroids, sharing how they collect data and use it to form coherent ideas about these astonishing rocks from space. Through the eyes of the scientists, readers learn about prehistoric collisions that shaped our planet, current methods used for observing asteroids, and what might be done to deal with the potential of a major impact in the future. The text makes complicated concepts understandable for younger readers without oversimplifying, and the accompanying photos and graphics are both informative and appealing. The scientists' enthusiasm for their work is palpable, which makes for compelling reading, and their experiences allow readers to visualize themselves in similar roles as they think about their futures. VERDICT Another excellent entry into the series. Purchase this to excite space buffs and inspire future scientists.—Sarah Reid, Four County Library System, NY

School Library Journal

2017-09-18
In space and on Earth, scientists study asteroids in hopes of avoiding a disaster like the one that befell the dinosaurs.In this latest title in the long-running series, the author of The Mighty Mars Rover (2012) introduces researchers investigating smaller solar-orbiting space rocks: asteroids. Opening with a gripping description of fourth-graders' experience of an asteroid strike in Russia in 2013, she explains what and where asteroids are and how they threaten our planet. Subsequent chapters follow several scientists: meteorite hunters; an impact crater specialist who explores Meteor Crater near Flagstaff, Arizona; an astronomer who uses a major telescope in Arizona to look for unknown near-Earth asteroids; the (female) principle investigator for NASA's Near Earth Object Wide Infrared Survey Explorer mission; and an Indian-American astronomer, also working in Arizona (and the only nonwhite scientist profiled), identifying the origin of meteorites. One, David Kring, is the man whose research led to the identification of the crater off Yucatan left by the asteroid that changed Earth's climate, causing the extinction of 75 percent of plants and animals alive at the time, including dinosaurs. Rusch concludes with a short list of possible methods for dealing with an asteroid that actually threatens Earth and includes a long, useful list of books and websites for reader involvement and further research.Lavishly illustrated with Anderson's photographs, this wide-ranging sample of asteroid science presumes quite a bit of previous knowledge but will reward the enthusiast. (Nonfiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews

Sure to have an impact on young astronomers.”

Booklist