Every step in spaceflight would be impossible without those who made previous advances in the field. This applies to NASA's shuttle Endeavour, as well, which took off on its final flight Monday morning. After Endeavour, Atlantis will take off this summer, the final American shuttle to be launched.

The Outward Odyssey series, edited by Colin Burgess and published by the University of Nebraska Press, provides a popular history of spaceflight from the rocket scientists of the 1930s to today, focusing on the lives of astronauts, cosmonauts, technicians, scientists, and their families. The series brings to life experiences that shaped the lives of astronauts and cosmonauts and forever changed their world and ours.

As the era of the American space shuttle comes to a close, be sure to brush up on your knowledge of space history, and the people behind it, with the Outward Odyssey series.