What if a Spider Became an Astronaut? A Space Animal Story

Most spiders spin a web and passively wait for prey to come to them. Jumping spiders, by contrast, actively hunt by jumping to catch their food.

What if a jumping spider was sent to the International Space Station? What if a spider became an astronaut?

When the spider jumped, it would simply float. No one knew if the spider could hunt in a weightless environment. This nonfiction picture book for elementary kids chronicles the amazing voyage of Nefertiti, the Spidernaut to the International Space Station and back. She's a Phiddipus johnsonii, or Johnson jumping spider, native to western United States. Her colorful anatomy-red, black and teal-made for stunning photography and video.

In 2012, Nefertitti clocked a record-breaking 100 days in space, during which time she circled Earth about 1584 times, traveling about 41,580,000 miles. What a space animal!

A Historic Moment in Aeronautics!

Astronaut Sunita Williams, Captain U.S. Navy, who cared for Nefertiti, said,

"It was a suspense story for me as it happened. I didn't know if she would survive when I unpacked her for the first time, or when I packed her up and sent her back home to Earth."

This is an astonishing story of change: through the dark and cold, in spite of being weightless and isolated, this incredible spider adapted and learned to hunt. Against all odds, this strange astronaut survived to return to Earth, where she had to re-adapt to Earth's gravity.

Nefertiti's story of survival brings hope that we, too, can adapt to a changing world. Read Nefertiti's inspiring journey into space.

Perfect for kids who love space, astronauts, bugs, spiders, and STEM science. Part of the Another Extraordinary Animal series by Darcy Pattison, which chronicles the story of a single animal instead of a species.

ANOTHER EXTRAORDINARY ANIMAL SERIES -

Bird. Mammal. Marine Mammal. Spider. Amphibian. Reptile. Mollusk.

This series includes the story of the oldest bird in the world, a spider in space, an orphaned puma cub, a bullfrog with a world-record leap, and the poignant story of saving a species from extinction.

The series is much more than just an introduction to the animal kingdom. It chronicles the story of how humans interact with animals in various ways: how we enjoy, challenge, admire, endanger, and save them. It's a fabulous series for kids to learn about the amazing complexity of animals.