Grade 8 Up–Incorporating and expanding on entries from such earlier works as his Facts On File Space and Astronomy Handbook (2002), Angelo presents a wide-angled survey that not only encompasses the nature, study, and exploration of outer space, but also delves into a huge array of related topics, from the Tomahawk missile and Columbia accident to climate change and quarks. Alphabetically arranged into more than 3000 articles that run from single sentences to several double-columned pages, this resource is both comprehensive and easy to use, and nearly every entry closes with several cross-references. The volume is enhanced by a detailed index and 15 thought pieces on such topics as the physical hazards of space travel, the possible consequences of interstellar contact, and the demonstrated uses of satellites in peace and war. Though neither the occasional, murky black-and-white photographs nor the appendixes, which are chock-full of useful and unusual information, are picked up in the index, and some entries are less than enlightening