Touching the Cosmos
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 01/17/2008

NASA introduced a new book, "Touch the Invisible Sky," at a ceremony at the
National Federation of the Blind. Images of nebulae, stars, and galaxies from
the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space
Telescope, and ground-based telescopes are brought to the fingertips of the
blind. Each image is embossed with lines, bumps, and textures that translate
colors, shapes, and other intricate details of the cosmic objects. Braille
and large-print descriptions accompany each image, making the book accessible
to readers of all visual abilities. 

"Touch the Invisible Sky" introduces the concept of light and the spectrum
and explains how the different observatories complement each others'
findings. It was written by Noreen Grice of the Museum of Science, Boston;
Simon Steel, an astronomer with the Harvard- Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA; and Doris Daou, an astronomer at NASA
Headquarters, Washington. 

"About 10 million visually impaired people live in the United States," Grice
said. "I hope this book will be a unique resource for people who are sighted
or blind to better understand the part of the universe that is invisible to
all of us." The book will be available through NASA libraries, the National
Federation of the Blind, Library of Congress repositories, libraries,
museums, and Ozone Publishing. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_08007_Braille_Book.html

Links:
Touch the Invisible Sky: Exploring the Cosmos in Braille
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/15jan_touch.htm

NASA to Unveil Braille Book with Cosmic Images
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_M0804_Braille_Advisory.html

Touch the Invisible Universe
http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/01/15/touch-the-invisible-universe/

NASA Unveils Cosmic Images Book in Braille for Blind Readers
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/536916/

Exploring the Universe in Braille
http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1216829/exploring_the_universe_in_braille/index.html?source=r_space

An Astronomy Book the Blind Can Appreciate
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18137734&ft=1&f=1007