Spidernaut

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: 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? When it 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.

Told in the first person as if written by Arabella herself, she describes how she was the first spider to spin a web in space in 1973, and even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Reading Arabella's diary and the story, we learn how spiders spin webs and why this experiment, suggested by a high school student, was important.

"But you don't have to look that far to appreciate the benefits of space exploration: commercialized NASA technology-known as NASA spinoffs-can be found in your phone, furniture, and car ... NASA is making sure as many of these innovations as possible go beyond their original use to benefit the public"--Page 5

Telepresence: Actual and Virtual explores the history of telepresence from the 1948 developments of master–slave manipulation, through to current telepresence technology used in space, undersea, surgery and telemedicine, operations in nuclear and other hazardous environments, policing and surveillance, agriculture, construction, mining, warehousing, education, amusement, social media, and other contexts. It also describes the various operator hand and body controls and the corresponding telerobotic actuation of robotic hands, arms, and locomotion. This book reviews the sensing and control technology, its history and likely future, and discusses the many research and policy issues that are raised. The book also takes up key questions relating to social and ethical issues, given that a person’s mechanical reach is becoming unlimited, enabling one to perform mischievous or harmful acts without identification, and what that portends for future developments in telepresence, including regulation and recommended directions of development. The primary audience for this book is professionals interested in human–robot interaction, human factors engineering, virtual reality, applications to space and undersea exploration, telemedicine and telesurgery, firefighting, mechanized agriculture, policing, drone surveillance, warehouse parts' fetching, mining, and military operations.

Spiders may be creepy, but they know amazing tricks. Some species have learned to fly. Others like to hangout underwater. Spider silk is strong and flexible. Spiders use it for more than just webs. Scientists keep trying to mimic spider silk. Once they succeed, people will find many awesome uses.

THE AMAZING VOYAGE OF NEFERTITI, THE SPIDERNAUT, Kids nonfiction picture book. Nonfiction science, animal biography. 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? When it 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, 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. Astronaut Sunita Williams, Captain U.S. Navy 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, she survived to return to Earth, where she had to re-adapt to Earth‚Äôs gravity. Nefertiti‚Äôs story of survival brings hope that we, too, can adapt to a changing world. Join Nefertiti in this inspiring journey into space. WHAT THEY ARE SAYING "In this remarkable true story of a jumping spider sent on a mission to space, Darcy Pattison successfully weaves together life science, earth space science, engineering, and technology within a suspenseful narrative. Readers will be drawn to Nerfertiti's resilience as she tackles a challenge no spider has ever faced before‚ to learn how to hunt in microgravity. This heartwarming and educational book will make a terrific addition to any classroom STEM library." - Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan, science educators and authors of Picture-Perfect Science Lessons "Nefertiti The Spidernaut is an accurate and step by step account of this spider's journey to and from the International Space Station. Having worked on invertebrates in space experiments with BioServe, Darcy Pattison truly caught the scope of the science while keeping you rooting for Nefertiti." Mary Ann Colley, VP of Science and Conservation, Butterfly Pavilion, Westminster, CO

These hilarious fictional diaries put us inside the heads of hapless figures from history. Meet Roderick – a scrawny, unremarkable teenager keeping a diary of his life in the Middle Ages. When he’s chosen to become a knight on a quest to find a holy relic (the fingers of St Stephen), Roderick is determined to prove his honour and graduate from zero to hero. ‘Get Real’ fact boxes feature throughout, providing historical context and further information, as well as a timeline, historical biographies and a glossary in the end matter.

On February 20, 1962, as millions of Americans waited anxiously, astronaut John Glenn blasted off in his rocket ship, Friendship 7, and became the first American to orbit the Earth. Although the risks of such a mission for Friendship 7 were well known, no one including Glenn knew the peril he was about to encounter in space. John Glenn was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the early pioneers of manned space flight. His historic flight followed years of intensive physical training and a devotion to a career in the exciting but risk-filled world of aviation. Ruth Ashby's dramatic story of John Glenn's near-disastrous mission in Friendship 7 also takes young readers through his small-town Ohio childhood, his extraordinary experiences as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his life as an astronaut in the prestigious and dangerous Mercury 7 program. The book concludes with Glenn's successful career as a US senator and his triumphant return to space in 1998 at the age of 77.