Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/15/2017 In 1965, a graduate student working part-time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory envisioned “the Grand Tour.” Taking advantage of a rare planetary alignment during the 1980s, NASA could slingshot space probes from one planet to another, saving fuel while gathering data and beaming it back to Earth. With the space telescope and space shuttle projects already in progress, funding looked unlikely, but the Voyager mission got the go-ahead, and the rest is space exploration history. Forty years after the launch dates, Siy tells the story of the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes, from their brilliant conception and the idealistic Golden Record through the revolutionary series of planetary discoveries and Voyager 1’s entry into interstellar space. Writing in a conversational style, Siy presents a good deal of information in an accessible way. She creates a sense of discovery as scientists interpret data, and images are sent back by the probes. Most double-page spreads include at least one illustration, usually a NASA image reproduced in color. A timely introduction to the Voyager mission. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2017 Gr 4–8—Forty years after the launch of the twin space probes, Siy's well-researched and enthusiastic title depicts their conception, construction, major discoveries, and lasting legacy. After two introductory chapters, the narrative settles into a pattern: each chapter opens with a historical breakthrough, such as Galileo discovering four of Jupiter's moons, and then relates some pertinent information gained from the Voyagers' data as well as photos from specific encounters. The material is presented in a chronological order that roughly follows Voyager One's and Voyager Two's journeys, taking readers from launch on Earth through reaching interstellar space. The final chapter, on the Golden Records, the Voyagers' message in a bottle from Earth to aliens who may come across it, ends the book on a hopeful note. The back matter, especially the links found in "Keeping Up with the Voyagers," will be invaluable for those wanting more. Siy's conversational tone makes for quick reading, and she deftly injects humor into what could have been challenging passages about eight-tracks and other 1970s era technology. Beautiful full-page photographs, most of which are from the Voyager mission, enhance the text. VERDICT An engaging and captivating STEM title that deserves a place in most libraries.—Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.