Science Fiction

6th Grade, Research and Inquiry Activities

1. Connect to this link: http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/earlysf.html

2. Read about Jules Verne and how his science fiction compares to today’s scientific knowledge.

3. Click on Click here to see a large picture of Verne's prediction of a lunar spacecraft. How does this spacecraft look similar to today’s space shuttles?

4. Return to the original Web page. Scroll down and click on Click here to see a large picture of Verne's prediction of weightlessness in space. How does Verne’s vision compare to pictures you’ve seen of astronauts?

5. Return to the original Web page, scroll down and click on Click here to see a large picture of Verne's launch concept. Does this look like a modern-day blastoff?

6. Click the Back button. Scroll down and click on all of the other links to see more, increasingly recent science fiction illustrations. Devise and draw a science fiction device that you think may actually become reality. Write 1-2 sentences about its potential use.


For additional information on comparing science fiction to scientific fact, go to http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/mmgallery/fact_fiction_nonflash.html