‘Sarah Cruddas is a gifted writer and Look Up is an inspired book. I am hopeful that we will never stop looking up.’ Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins

Most of us have never been to space. To date, of the more than 100 billion humans that have ever existed, fewer than 600 humans have ever left Earth. But the exploration of space is the most significant thing we will ever do as a species.

Sarah Cruddas has been looking to the skies her entire life. Her childhood was spent staring at the Moon and hearing stories of the space race, and she worked in a fruit factory to fund her love of the subject. Her subsequent career studying astrophysics, and becoming a television host and space journalist has seen her report on space exploration and chase launches across the world. In Look Up Sarah explains why she has always been a passionate advocate for why space should matter – to everyone.

From our ancestors who first painted patterns of the stars in caves, to the US and Soviet pioneers who first forged a path beyond our planet, Sarah Cruddas explores the stories and sacrifices that humankind has made to understand more about our place in the universe. And even today, when Moon walking and people in space suits seem less relevant to us than climate change and conflicts here on Earth, she shows how everything from medicine to mobile phones is affected by space technology, and how a new generation of entrepreneurs have kick-started a new story with the stars.

This is an inspirational and enlightening introduction to the importance of space to everyone, and why we should all learn to Look Up.

Look Up by Sarah Cruddas is a modern narrative that encapsulates the best of 20th-century science and cosmology. It is a journey through the history of space exploration, with a keen eye on the environmental implications, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of these topics.

For fans of Laura Freeman (In the Kitchen), Adrian West (The Secret World of Stargazing), Libby Jackson (A Galaxy of Her Own), Cgp Books (A-Level Chemistry), and Hallie Rubenhold (The Five).

Look Up: Our story with the stars

Look Up: Our story with the stars