Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars

*Signed Bookplate!*

Did you know that a piece of cloth from the Wright Brothers’Flyerhas traveled to the moon, and Mars?

With NASA photos and playful illustrations throughout, here is an incredible slice of hidden history and an introduction to the science of air and space for all ages.

“A flight of fancyand factssure to set aspiring scientists imaginations soaring.”Kirkus, starred review

One day in 1903 the Wright brothersentered a department store in Ohio to buy a bolt of fabric. The plain muslin cloth was most often used to make underwear. As it happens, the Wright brothers were about to wrap the simple cloth around the ribs of a mechanical wing and dramatically change the world.Sixty-six years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrongtook a big leap onto the moon. With him was a swatch of the exact fabric the bicycle mechanics had purchased in 1903.Fifty-two years after that, in 2021, a remote-controlled car-sized explorer landed on Mars. Attached to the underside of a cable was a tiny piece of very old clothcloth that had almost become underwear.Almost Underwearis the story of that incredible piece of fabric, and the historic firsts it stitches together.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

“Readers with stars (and planets) in their eyes will be fascinated by this little-known swatch of detail from the story of our space program.”Booklist, starred review

“Adelight from takeoff to landing.”Publishers Weekly, starred review