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Sept. 20, 2006
Choose Your Destination!
In the previous challenge, "Around Our Star the Acme Travel Way," I asked you to design a contest to interest ordinary people in space travel. It occurred to me to wonder . . . if the contest were to travel anywhere in the solar system, where would people want to go most?
I asked some science fiction writers this question. Here are their answers.
"I would like to visit Mars, because I want to explore it, study it, and learn once and for all whether life ever gained a foothold there, even for a little while."
—Kristine Smith (author of Contact Imminent, Eos)
 | The surface of Mars. | NASA |
"If I could visit anywhere in the solar system, I'd go to Enceladus because it's very small and yet it is geophysically active. Nobody knows why. It is, in fact, only the second place in the solar system beyond Earth that we can see generating heat. (The other is Jupiter's moon Io.) Also, there's reason to believe Enceladus has liquid water. Match the two, water and heat, and the possibilities become intriguing.
"One other reason is to set up a comfortable villa on Enceladus. It has a magnificent view of Saturn's rings."
—Jack McDevitt (author of Seeker, Ace Books)
 | Enceladus. | NASA |
"If I could go anywhere in the solar system, I'd go to the rings of Saturn, because they're beautiful, because they're complex and thus intrinsically interesting, and because Saturn was the first planet I saw through a telescope. The whole Saturn system is fascinating, with the multiple moons as well as the rings. I'd like to set up a research station on one of the 'shepherd moons,' Pandora or Prometheus, as they lack atmosphere (and thus provide clear viewing) and are close to the ring system."
—Elizabeth Moon (author of Engaging the Enemy, Del Rey)
 | Saturn. | NASA |
"If I could visit anywhere in the solar system, I'd go to Jupiter because there are many different worlds to explore in a relatively small space."
—Jean-Pierre Normand (science fiction illustrator, The Engine of Recall by Karl Schroeder, Red Deer Press)
 | Jupiter. | NASA |
"If I could visit anywhere in the solar system, I'd go to Mercury, because it's the planet that's closest to the sun, but also has ice caps. Lots of solar energy and frozen ice caps, how cool is that? I'm ready to go ice skating, or maybe skiing.
—Geoffrey Landis (author of Mars Crossing, Tor Books)
 | Mercury. | NASA |
As for me? While I'd love to go anywhere, if I had to pick one place, it would be high Earth orbit. I want to see our world and its life from space for myself.
Challenge: Where Would You Go?
It's your turn. Here's the question I sent my friends.
What would your answer be?
Going Further
As you can see, two of my friends picked Saturn's rings. Will they be the travel hotspot of the future? Find out for yourself. Ask this question of as many people as you can. Calculate the percentage of people who would like to see each place for themselves. For the most popular destination, list the reasons that people gave. You can add this destination to your contest!
If you wish, send your answer and/or your survey results to us at scifizone@snkids.com. If we use yours, you may be eligible to win a prize! Please include your first name, age, city or town, and state. If you are under 13 years old, get your parent's permission to write to us.
This week's recommended scifi books
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