Space Base (1972)

A summer re-run for you, a re-post and expansion of  "Space Base"

(I first blogged about this book on March 12, 2010)
https://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/03/space-base-1972.html

Freeman, Mae B. Illustrated by Raul Mina Mora. Space Base. New York : Watts. (63 p.) 26 cm. Illustrated Boards.

 A basic story about a child visiting a space station and learning about the construction and use of space stations. Gives a complete basic description of how they would be constructed, what power sources they would use, and what life on a space station would be like. Many full page illustrations of the exterior and interior of an imaginary circular space station.

This book was written by Mae Freeman, who also wrote the 1959 book "You Will Go To The Moon." You could almost see this book as an update of that vision of the future.  I wish the illustrations were in color but they are still awe-inspiring.

 One of the nice changes is the multi-racial population of this book.

 The book is basically an extended trip to a "Von Braun/Colliers" type space station

 The delta-wing "shuttle" is very distinctive (even if out of date already at the time)

There is also a nice depiction of a "Space telescope"

 The book back-pedals by showing that such a huge station will take steps to build and will take some preliminary steps.

This final illustrations shows some of the possible space stations children could expect in the near future.