Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A brilliant overview of all things space travel. Definitions and explanations galore for folk new to or only slightly familiar with the subject - my memory of physics class is hazy. The illustrations and artwork was amazing, and I was a bit gutted I wasn't holding a physical book in some parts! A book to read during a long afternoon or to dip in and out of when you find yourself slightly bored and staring at your bookshelf. A brilliant accompanying book to others in the series.

Now this is the type of book I’d love to have as a permanent fixture on my shelf. It’s perfect for any ability, to learn more about space travel, our road there, what’s currently within our grasps and where we’re headed out into the stars.

It’s a greatly written book, concise and perfectly to the point yet informative and full of fantastic information on the subject of space travel. It was so easy and effortless to read and didn’t feel overwhelming or heavy as some non fiction can sometimes be. It also had a great little glossary of terms before each chapter with the definitions of the words you may come to meet in the following pages. The whole book was just so helpful in making sure you understood all that you read.

It was a perfectly balanced book and one that was very enjoyable to read. It’s the sort of book you can read multiple times, use as a reference, flick through or read cover to cover. It’s worth reading every single page though for all the fantastic nuggets of information that are on each of its succinct pages. I also love the layout of the whole book and the little short biographies on each page mentioning notable people was also a great addition.

The illustrations and pictures in this book were just stunning too. They were beautiful to look at and really further added to the effortless ease of reading.

Definitely learnt a lot from this book and I really enjoyed reading it!

A fantastic brief overview of the history of space travel, this book is a must have for anyone interested in broadening their knowledge, without having lots of time to devote to the subject matter. I really appreciated the brief bios of people connected to the space race also like Katherine Johnson