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I went looking for a children's sci-fi book for my eight year old and couldn't find a thing. Everything is fantasy, distant future, cartoon series, and other reading material that doesn't seem to provoke much interest in space exploration.
So now, with my son's input, I'm working on a story with the aid of Mr. Zubrin's book, The Case For Mars.
I wanted to have eight people for the first mission (I know it's more than recommended, but with more money, it should be possible, right?), all from different nations, chosen from countries that pitched in supplies, cash, and technology. The motivation to fund the mission is partly fear of being left out of future colonization. In other words, these nations, and/or their corporations decide to fund the mission to get one of their citizens onboard. This would prevent any one nation from claiming, on paper or defacto, that Mars is their colony.
It leaves NASA, the corporations who seek more advanced technology than is necessary out of profit motivation, and the United States government with no choice but to participate by sending a citizen and providing some of the technology.
So I just found this site, and I'm learning a lot. The idea of having robots build themselves before humans arrive is great. I think it would really capture the imagination of readers.
Any suggestions for our story? We thought a trilogy at first would be good, the first manned mission, the first permanent settlers, and then one further in the future, with asteroid belt mining, geothermal power, and neat inventions for getting about and getting things done on Mars. (My son favors legged vehicles, and who knows? Rocky as Mars is, maybe it would be a good way to get around).
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Normally, life expands and then fights off invaders of the territory (space).
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Because of Nuclear threat, other nations will be able to participate. Similar to the poisionous bug not being eaten.
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It is soon going to be an interesting mix of (self replicating) humans and (almost self replicating) robots.
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For a young person, a good theme is participation. Having finished second grade, the Moon based summer school camp science project involves helping. The youngster becomes involved with Mars colonization, presents helpful ideas, and further space adventures follow, as his education continues, year after year.
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I don't think you could take an 8 member crew within the current framework of Mars Direct. It's at its weight limit as it is. You could launch two Zubrin habs though at the same time, each transporting 4 individuals. Plus when writing a book, children's book especially, everything doesn't necessarily have to be possible-look at Harry Potter.
Some ideas you might think about putting in the story simply to interest children:
-include a pet on the trip, maybe a dog named Marvin or something.
-Emails received by the crew on the way out
-maybe have a child somehow sneak aboard and go to mars
-maybe have them stop at the space station before heading on to mars
-may create some drama by having a problem arrise that is fixed by all the crewmembers working together to fix it
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Thanks, Marsdog and Dook.
I think the way the robots would self-replicate would interest children. My son thought it was neat. And the nuclear threat is the main reason I'm interested in a Mars mission! We're in a dangerous position right now, with some irrational people controlling (or failing to control) it!
I'm thinking you're right about two habs at the same time, sort of as a safety, rather than pack too many people into one ship, so I'll probably do that, with a nice emergency space walk when one gets in trouble. But really, wouldn't that be doubling the problems, rather than helping things? Hm. Have to think about it. I already figured that the impractical number can be excused by writing that the participating nations just wouldn't back down on each one having a citizen onboard.
I know the story needs conflict, and appeal to children. I want to keep it pretty hard sci-fi, but if sneaking a puppy or a kid onboard, unrealistic as it is, would help raise interest in colonizing Mars, well...that is why they call it fiction!
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Hi, Ralou,
You might contact Stu (Stuart Atkinson) on this board, he has written several books on Mars for young people, and he gives talks for schools, too.
Some of his stories are on the NewMars Website, "Field Trip" comes to mind...(click the "New Mars" link upper right)
Then there's RobS's Mars24 series, very hard-sci-fi, based on an extensive hardware plan... But he's already writing a novel based on it himself... Maybe you could cooperate, make a 'junior' version in cooperation with him...
(Search the board for Mars24 to get his updates)
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