Nefertiti, the Spidernaut | NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book

Have Spiders Ever Gone to Space? NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Georgia Camellia Nonfiction Children's Book award list 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, tra