Space Story Time: Kids' Book Author Jeffrey Bennett Talks Max the Dog in Orbit

It's not every day that a dog helps save astronauts in space, but that's exactly what happens in author Jeffrey Bennett's latest tale of a pooch named Max and his trip to the International Space Station. And there's a twist: The science-themed children's book is actually in space today in the cosmic library aboard the real-life space station.

Bennett's "Max Goes to the Space Station" (Big Kids Science, 2013) launched into space earlier this year on a commercial cargo ship alongside other vital supplies for astronauts on the space station. That set the stage for "Story Time From Space," an educational outreach project in which astronauts will read "Max Goes to the Space Station" and Bennett's other works in space to encourage children on Earth to learn about space and science. One of the books, "Max Goes to the Moon," has flown in space before and was read in orbit by NASA astronaut Alvin Drew, one of the creators of Story Time From Space.

Space.com recently caught up with Bennett who received the 2013 American Institute of Physics Science Communications Award in January for "Max Goes to the Moon" to discuss the launch of "Max Goes to the Space Station" and his other books (which sent Max to the moon, Mars and Jupiter). Another of Bennett's books, "The Wizard Who Saved the World," also hitched a ride to the station with the launch. Here's what Bennett revealed on the origin of Max the Dog, the pooch's trips into space and what it means for kids:

Space.com: "Max Goes to the Space Station" is the latest in a series of books that send Max on a space adventure. What led you to use a dog to share space exploration with kids?

Jeffrey Bennett:I wanted to write science books that would appeal not only to kids who were already into science, but also to kids who might not otherwise pick up a science book. Since kids love dogs, sending a dog on the adventures seemed like a natural way to create stories that would hold kids' attention so that I could teach them some science at the same time. [Animals in Space: 10 Cosmic Tales]

Space.com: Did you ever think the books would eventually be launched into space? Or be read from space?

Bennett: When I first starting writing, I had all sorts of delusions of grandeur about how much my books would sell and so on, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that they'd really go into space. Indeed, when Patricia Tribe (an educator who came up with the Story Time From Space idea along with astronaut Alvin Drew) first called me and told me they'd selected my books, I thought it had to be a prank phone call.

Space.com: Is Max based on a real dog? Are you a dog owner now? Any other pets?

Bennett: Yes, Max is real. My wife and I got the original Max as a puppy, and it was completely her doing; at the time, I had no interest in having a dog. But Max won me over quickly, and the inspiration for "Max Goes to the Moon" actually came to me one day while I was out walking with Max and my infant son and looked up at the moon in the morning sky. Max lived to be 9 1/2 (there's a page honoring him at the end of "Max Goes to Mars"), and he served as the model for Alan Okamotos artwork in "Max Goes to the Moon" and "Max Goes to Mars."

We then got another Rottweiler, Cosmo, who was painted as Max in "Max Goes to Jupiter" by artist Michael Carroll; readers will notice that he is introduced in the story as the grandson of the original Max. Because "Max Goes to the Space Station" is a prequel to "Max Goes to the Moon," Carroll worked mainly from photos of the original Max, but also paid some attention to Cosmo, since the two dogs look very similar. [Pioneering Animals in Space: A Photo Gallery]

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Space Story Time: Kids' Book Author Jeffrey Bennett Talks Max the Dog in Orbit