Joseph Henry Press
500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
The Joseph Henry Press, an imprint of the National Academies Press, was created with the goal of making books on science, technology, and health more widely available to professionals and the public. Joseph Henry was one of the early founders of the National Academy of Sciences and a leader in early American science.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this volume are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences or its affiliated institutions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grice, Noreen.
Touch the universe: a NASA Braille book of astronomy / by Noreen Grice.
p.cm.
Captions also in Braille; images embossed to be perceivable to the vision impaired.
ISBN 0-309-08332-X (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Astronomy—Pictorial works. 2. Braille books—Specimens. I. Title.
QB68.G75 2002
520’.22’2—dc21
2002010769
Copyright © 2002 by Noreen Grice. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America by the Reese Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
The space program is bringing our universe into focus. This book is dedicated to science enthusiasts of all visual abilities - enjoy!
The ideas that led to the creation of Touch the Universe: A NASA Braille Book of Astronomy, were developed jointly by Noreen Grice and Dr. Bernhard Beck-Winchatz (DePaul University), who gratefully acknowledge funding by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Cycle 9 Education and Public Outreach Grant. The tactile illustrations were created by Noreen Grice with evaluation by Benning Wentworth, Disney’s 2001 Teacher of the Year, and his students at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.
The text was checked for scientific accuracy by Dr. Beck-Winchatz and Dr. Dennis Dawson (Western Connecticut State University).
Thanks to Shirley Keller and Irma Goldberg, of Creative Adaptations for Learning, who enthusiastically assisted the author with the design and production of the prototype tactile illustrations, and to Pauline Gobeil for assistance with the design of the cover illustration.
Special thanks to Steve Maran and Ray Villard of NASA, Skip Barker, the Joseph Henry Press, Reese Press, and National Braille Press for their unique collaboration during the final production phase, and to the astronomers who allowed their celestial images to be part of this book.
Noreen Grice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Astronomy from Boston University, a Master of Science degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University, a Professional Certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management through the Boston Center for Adult Education. She has taught astronomy courses for students of all ages, from grammar school through college, and has worked in the planetarium field since 1984. Her first book on astronomy, Touch the Stars, is a Braille/print edition using tactile illustrations.