Impact!: Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World

There are asteroids flying around in space all the time. Lots of these are headed toward our planet, Earth. Many fly right by, doing no harm to us, and many burn up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth. But some actually make it through and reach Earth and cause some pretty serious damage, exploding with massive sound waves that produce damage. A few come crashing into the planet, gouging out huge craters and blasting away everything nearby. But can anything be done to prevent this kind of damage? Scientists are certainly busy doing their best to gather information about these dangerous objects — studying the kind of damage they have caused in the past, trying to track them in space, and planning ways to prevent them from striking Earth.

Author Elizabeth Rusch has spent time in the field with the scientists working in this area and has written a compelling accounting of this work. The writing is crisp, and the subject matter fascinating for its intended audience of middle-grade readers. Photographs by Karin Anderson and excellent illustrations will keep the pages turning. This is a welcome addition to the Scientists in the Field series.