Wake County author's children's book to be read on International Space Station

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A children's book written by Wake County author Houston Kidd is about to blast off to the International Space Station to be read by an astronaut.

The book titled Willow the Water Bear, was selected by Story Time From Space a program to help spark students imagination and interest in space exploration, STEM concepts, and careers.

"Low and behold a little less than a year later she reaches out says, 'Congratulations, there were a ton of submissions we had to sift through them and find a launch sequence date but your book is one of five that's been selected to go up to the International Space Station!'" Kidd said.

Willow the Water Bear is the first book Kidd has published. He is a Petty Officer First Class in the Navy who loves science.

"I'm trained as a mechanical engineer," Kidd said. "I'm a huge science nerd, anything that deals with the universe, astronomy, I just love anything and everything about science. I love talking about it learning more about it and talking to other people about it as well."

Kidd's book is about a water bear, which is a nickname for tardigrades- microscopic animals which can survive in many extreme conditions including space.

The book is scheduled to be on board a rocket headed for the ISS in the spring. The astronaut reading will be available online in the summer of 2019.