Why should we go to space? To learn more about the universe and our place in it? To extract resources and conduct commerce? To demonstrate national primacy and technological prowess? To live and thrive in radically different kinds of human communities? Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities takes on the challenge of imagining new stories at the intersection of public and private—narratives that use the economic and social history of exploration, as well as current technical and scientific research, to inform scenarios for the future of the “new space” era.
Science Fiction
A Storied Future: Future Tense Fiction
By Emma Greguska, ASU Now
Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You
Our communications and public engagement strategist Bob Beard visited Phoenix’s NBC affiliate, 12 News, to discuss Star Wars Day and why science fiction fandom matters. Watch now…
Future Tense Fiction: “Mika Model,” by Paolo Bacigalupi
“The girl, the robot … this thing—I’d seen her before, all right. I’d seen her in technology news stories about advanced learning node networks…”
From Science Fiction to Science Fact
By Thomas Kalil, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Science fiction anthology explores futures shaped by journeys through time and space
Just in time for the United Nations’ World Space Week (October 4-10, 2015) comes Journeys through Time and Space, a new anthology of creative, thought-provoking visions of the future shaped by excursions through space and time, and into the labyrinthine caverns of the human mind.
Community Event: Phoenix Loves Sci-Fi celebrates imaginative short films on July 2
While Hollywood blockbusters thrill us with breathtaking escapist spectacles, short films present diverse and idiosyncratic stories across the spectrum of genres, from fantasy and science fiction to riotous comedy and psychological drama. Short films can function as speculative windows into possible futures, or provide glimpses of […]
Author Paolo Bacigalupi to imagine Southwest water wars at ASU on Sept. 17
In Paolo Bacigalupi’s most recent science fiction novel, The Water Knife, Phoenix is dried up and California and Nevada are not too far behind. The millions of people who rely on the Colorado River to survive are not only thirsty, but fighting for their lives. It’s […]
Science fiction anthology explores biological, environmental visions of the future
Imagine a world devoid of animal life except for humans. Or a future where medical advances enable people to live for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Would life be as sweet if there was no end in sight, or without our pets to greet us at the door at the end of a long day? These are just a few of the quandaries explored in “Living Tomorrow,” a new anthology of creative, thought-provoking visions of the future crafted by young people ages 13-25 from across the United States and worldwide.
Science Fiction Story: I Am Mars
The wiry old man stood in the Martian cave, sipping his coffee. Yuri’s rock-embedded display stretched across the cavern. The print from his mug reflected off the panel’s glass, “NASA MVC: Class of 2049.” He moved closer to it and touched the incoming spaceship’s blinking icon.
Project Hieroglyph Book Launch: Phoenix, AZ
Launch event for Project Hieroglyph’s first anthology, Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future (HarperCollins, 2014) at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, AZ on October 22, 2014.
From Robots to Star Trek: Politics in Science Fiction
Have you ever thought about robots? I mean really thought about them. They are so prevalent in science fiction that it is easy to take the existence of robots for granted. But someone had to invent robots at some point, and for some reason. The answer can be found partially in the etymology of the word: the English robot comes from the Czech robota, meaning forced or compulsory labor. The term “robot” in its original use would be unfamiliar to modern audiences; it was first used by Karel Čapek in his work R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), a science fiction play from 1920.