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Sept. 27, 2006
Making It Real
Anousheh Ansari (above) spent her childhood dreaming of venturing into space. After building a successful telecommunications business, she was able to pay for a trip to the International Space Station, where she conducted science experiments as well as fulfilling her dreams. Photo: Space Adventures
Our solar neighborhood is a fascinating place to explore, starting with orbiting Earth itself and moving outwards (see "Choose Your Destination!"). Science fiction writers can help anyone explore space from the comfort of home. That's fun, but what about making it real?
Now's the perfect time to start planning for your trip.
 | Space shuttle astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper gets help adjusting her spacesuit while training for a space mission. She was a member of the team that visited the Earth-orbiting International Space Station in September. | NASA |
To learn more about Anousheh Ansari's adventure in space, go to www.spaceadventures.com/anousheh-ansari (Space Adventures).
Challenge: My Travel Plan
You may have used a concept map like the one shown below to organize your ideas. This particular concept map is about finding a way to school. You place your goal—getting to school—at the center. Around the goal, you place possible ways to go to school. Then, outside that, are any questions that need to be answered or tasks that need to be done. It's a bit like a flowchart, because you can follow steps from the outside to the inside.
Concept maps are helpful because they let you consider many options at once. Real life is like that. Stuff happens. You'll change over time and so will the best way to accomplish what you want.
Make a concept map about traveling into space.
- Put "I'm in Space!" in the center of a large piece of paper (or on your screen).
- How do people travel into space? Think of as many ways as you can. Let your imagination go and think about the near future as well as now. (I've supplied some ideas below to get you started.) Write these around your goal. Put a circle around each. (Or use sticky notes. I like how they let me move things if I change my mind. Which I do quite often.)
Some Ideas:
Become an astronaut.
Win a contest.
Buy a ticket.
- Next, think about these ways of traveling into space. For each one, write down questions that you would need to have answered first. For example, for "become an astronaut," a question might be "What training will I need?"
- Ask as many questions as you can. Don't worry about asking the same question more than once, if necessary. If your map becomes too crowded, use a separate page for each method.
Going Further
Look at your concept map. Highlight any questions that you've asked more than once. What do they have in common? How could they help you do something other than space travel, like have a different career or adventure? What's the advantage of preparing yourself for more than one future?
If you wish, send your map (a digital photo would be fine) 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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Talk Back:
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