advertisement

red line
SuperKids Software Review - The Parent's and Teacher's Guide to Childrens' Software
free newsletter! spacer tell a friend! spacer contests
spacer
software
  reviews
  bestseller list
  price survey
  what's new
  product support
  search
spacer
educational tools
  ask a scientist
  math worksheets
  vocabulary builders
  hangman
  iPhone/iPad apps
  logic games
  brain food
spacer
educational insights

feature articles
spacer
marketplace
  iPhone/iPad apps
  reading corner
  movie corner
spacer
SuperKids home
  about SuperKids
  advertise!
  humor
  links
  help
spacer
  * * *

Promotions




  * * *

spacer all reviews > > > science software

Space: A Visual History of Manned Spaceflight

Sumeria

Ages 8 to adult

Rating Scale
5 = great,    1 = poor
Educational Value
4.8
Kid Appeal
4.5
Ease of Use
4.8

Space Screen Shot System Requirements

PC / Mac Price Survey

Product Support

Space: A Visual History of Manned Spaceflight contains a fascinating collection of historical film and still photography chronicling the US space program. Beginning with the launch of Alan Shepard on his Mercury Redstone rocket in 1961, then continuing through the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle missions, Space blends official NASA film footage with written text and audio descriptions.

Educational Value
Space is something between an encylopedia and a history book -- call it (as the publisher does) an almanac. This means that some areas are covered in depth, while others are passed over at the 50,000 foot level. For example, did you know that a spider can spin a web in zero-gravity? An experiment on the Shuttle proved that they can. On the other hand, little is shown of the initial Mercury flights, other than Alan Shepard's first flight, and John Glenn's first orbital flight. Regardless, Space provides an excellent visual introduction to, and overview of, the history of the American manned space program.

The program allows users to view the material from several different perspectives. One can follow a timeline, or select from an extensive (but not exhaustive) list of individual missions, or even drill down by specific topics in a simple index. Unfortunately, the full-text search capability indicated on the program's packaging was not found by any of our testers.

Kid Appeal
The creators of Space wisely decided to allow the material they used to provide the spice of the program. No fancy animations, no cutesy characters -- and it works. This program is appealing to students interested in space, and based on our testing, was also popular with baby-boomer parents and teachers who remembered watching the race to the moon as it happened.

Ease of Use / Install
Space ran direct from the CD on our Mac test machine with no difficulties. Navigation within the program is intuitive -- a lucky thing, since there is no manual.

Best for... / Bottom-Line
Space is a wonderful compilation of fascinating films and history, especially for those with dreams of going to the stars, or memories of man's first steps beyond our planet.

See SuperKids' comparisons with other Science software titles, and the Buyers Guide for current market prices of the PC and Mac versions.

System Requirements
PC: Windows 95 or later, 486/DX 100 or faster cpu, 16 MB RAM, 640 x 480 high color display, 4X or faster CD-ROM, Sound Blaster compatible sound card

Mac: System 7.0 or higher, 100 MHz PowerMac or faster cpu, 16 MB RAM, 13 inch color display, 4X or faster CD-ROM

Reviewed on:

  • PowerMac 6400/200 with 32MB and 8XCD
  • return to top of page



    Go to: About SuperKids Educational Software Review
    Questions or comments regarding this site? webmaster@superkids.com
    Copyright © 1998-2024 Knowledge Share LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy