Space Spider Dies in D.C.: Nefertiti Dies After Surviving on International Space Station
An unusual astronaut has passed away.
A spider named Nefertiti who traveled into space died in Washington, D.C. on Monday Dec. 3. It was 10 months old.
Nefertiti, a Johnson jumping spider, was found dead in the morning at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, according to Space.com.
The spider is famous for having traveled 42 million miles in space before coming back to her home planet in October. Nefertiti survived an experiment in space to see if the creature could adapt to micro gravity for its meals.
While aboard the International Space Station, Nefertiti survived by hunting down fruit flies and adapted to her new environment.
Nefertiti arrived at the Smithsonian's Insect Zoo on Nov. 29 and passed away a few days after.
Johnson jumping spider's usually live around a year, but natural causes are assumed by the Smithsonian in Nefertiti's death.
The spider was chosen for the mission after NASA launched a Space Lab contest on Youtube where two students were able to propose a science related mission. 18-year-old Amr Mohamed suggested an experiment to see if gravity dependent spiders could adapt to a new micro-gravity existence to survive.
According to NASA, the project was designed around jumping spiders, like the zebra and red-backed species, and if they could adapt their hunting abilities to the change in gravity. Jumping spiders do not build webs to catch their food, but jump in the air to catch their prey.
"I have always been fascinated by science because with a handful of equations, I can explain the world around me," said Mohamed in his Meet the Winner YouTube video. "The idea of sending an experiment to space is the most exciting thing that I have ever heard in my life."
