Intended for adoptive parents and adoption practitioners and intermediaries, this book uses the metaphor of space exploration to provide practical strategies for meeting the adopted infant's needs and smoothing the transition. Chapter 1, "Mission: To Explore New Worlds," discusses adoptive and birth parent preparation, loss issues, and society's reactions to adoption. Chapter 2, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6...," examines the psychological pregnancy of adoptive parents, the homestudy process, practical issues of early parenthood such as finances, selecting a physician, naming the child, breastfeeding, and preparing siblings, family, and friends. Chapter 3, "We Have Lift Off," focuses on initial adjustment, including bonding and attachment issues, entrustments and other rituals, strategies for promoting attachment, providing stimulation to promote development, and dealing with post-baby blues. Chapter 4, "Into Orbit," deals with adjustment to parenthood, readjustment of relationships among adults, interrupted or unexperienced stages of infant development, low birthweight infants, speech delays, stranger anxiety, relationships with birthparents, artificial twinning, and the outside world. Chapter 5, "Uh, Houston? This is Baby," is directed to professionals and examines adoption programs, legal issues, and foster care, and advocates attachment-friendly adoption practice, baby-centered birth and adoptive parent services, and networking with childbirth and neonatal educators. An appendix lists organizational resources and references. Contains approximately 45 references. (KB)