NASA

Sept. 22, 2004

Working in Space (Part 1)

"A Man's Place" is a short story by Eric Choi. He's an aerospace engineer who writes award-winning science fiction when not working on space probes.

Eric's story is about a storm and a cook. But the storm isn't a hurricane. It's a solar storm, caused by the sun. As for the cook? He's working on the moon, and the problems he faces in his kitchen are a little different from those he would face on Earth. Read the story here.

Challenge: A Solar Storm

Paul Galtsoff, NorthEast Fisheries Science Center

1. Write down all the problems and dangers you can think of that a storm such as a tornado or hurricane might cause in your community. What do people do as the storm approaches? What happens to people and property when the storm strikes? What types of problems can a storm leave behind after it's over?
2. Read Eric's story again, this time looking for clues about solar storms. What are the dangers? How did the people of the lunar colony prepare? What did they do during the storm? What type of problems did the storm leave behind, and how did people deal with them?
3. Which type of storm—solar or terrestrial (hurricane or tornado)—do you think is more dangerous to people? Why?
4. Weather forecasters on Earth don't usually bother telling us about solar storms. Why? Who might need a forecast about solar storms?

Working in Space (Part 2)

Challenge: Space Talking

This week's recommended scifi books

Art gallery

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