Before someone can create new and better technologies in aviation and space exploration, they have to imagine them! Just like science fiction authors and artists, scientists and engineers use their imagination in their work. 

Explore how science fiction helps us think about the future and what is possible, especially around inventions that make our lives better and make things easier to do.

On Demand Activities

Jump to Section:   Science Fiction to Real Life      Talk About It!       Trailblazer Spotlight       This or That? Game      Story Time Suggestions      Make a Comic Strip     

Science Fiction to Real Life

Look through the images below. 

  • What do you notice that is similar between the imagined technology and what was developed later? 
  • What do you notice that is different?

 

Science Fiction

A small black device with a swirly screen, and three buttons.
 The TV show Star Trek debuted the communicator in 1966.

Real Life

A black flip phone, with a small display screen that read "Phone Book"
Thirty years later, Motorola launched the first mobile flip phone, which, in a nod to the Star Trek series, it dubbed the StarTAC.

 

A drawing showing a futuristic family on a video call on floating TV screen.

The cartoon from the 1960s, The Jetsons imagined futuristic calls using videophones. On the show, they  sometimes had their own wheels or sat on desktop, or even floating in mid-air.

A large iPhone showing a Facetime call is projected before an audience.
In reality, video calls are made on devices - smartphones, laptops or desktop computers - that are used for other things, not just video calls.
​​​This image shows the first public video phone call with FaceTime, between Apple's Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, in 2010.
A red comic book cover showing a family gathered round a table, with a robot bringing a metallic cake to the family.
The Jetsons cartoon and comic also featured a robot housekeeper named Rosie, who took care of the Jetson family home and the children, Elroy and Judy.
A small circular disk-like vacuum on a wooden floor.
We do have robots that help us around the house now, but they most commonly seen as devices that are programmed to do only one task, like this robot vacuum cleaner. They are not yet like the machines we see in science fiction that can do multiple tasks.

Talk About It!

Kids, choose a question to ask a grown up in your family:

  • Think about a science fiction movie, comic or book that you saw or read when you were a kid. Was there something in that book or movie that wasn't real then, but is real now?
  • Is there any technology around now that would've surprised your 10 year old self?

Grown ups, ask your kids this question: Have you seen anything in a science fiction show, movie or book that you would like to see in the future?

Trailblazer Spotlight: Nichelle Nichols

Science fiction helps us imagine a better future, and that doesn't only have to be related to technology. The show Star Trek, that was on television during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, showed people of different races and backgrounds working together on a team. This was something not necessarily happening in real life during this time.  In this section, meet one of the actors from the original cast.
 

  • A Black woman in a red starfleet uniform looks up from a dashboard.
    Download Image

    Actress Nichelle Nichols played Lieutenant Uhura on the science fiction TV show Star Trek, that was on from 1966 to 1969.

    Footage, still photo(s), elements from Star Trek - Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 
     

  • A group of people in primary color uniforms on a spaceship. The people are of different races and genders.
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    Seeing her on TV inspired many Black Americans, even Martin Luther King, Jr! When Ms. Nichols told Dr. King that she was thinking of quitting the show to pursue stage acting, he encouraged her to stay because she represented an African American woman working in a leadership position, treated as a peer by her crewmates. That type of presence was too important.

    Footage, still photo(s), elements from Star Trek - Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 
     

  • Wearing a NASA jumpsuit, actor Nichelle Nichols sits at the CAPCOM/FAO position in the NASA Mission Control Center.
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    After her role on Star Trek, Ms. Nichols worked with NASA to recruit people of color and women for their astronaut program. As a result, the 1978 class of astronaut candidates included three African American men, one Asian-American man, and six women, all firsts for the NASA astronaut corps. 
     

  • Nichelle Nichols, later in her life, smiles for a photo with a small LEGO mini figure resting on her hand and the NASA logo in the background.
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    Ms. Nichols passed away on July 30, 2022 but her impact as a role model for so many people onscreen and off lives on.

    Other women have since played the part of Uhura, and she remains an important character in newer iterations of the Star Trek story. But Ms. Nichols’s performance and her collaboration with show creator Gene Roddenberry defined the character.

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  • A Black woman in a red starfleet uniform looks up from a dashboard.
  • A group of people in primary color uniforms on a spaceship. The people are of different races and genders.
  • Wearing a NASA jumpsuit, actor Nichelle Nichols sits at the CAPCOM/FAO position in the NASA Mission Control Center.
  • Nichelle Nichols, later in her life, smiles for a photo with a small LEGO mini figure resting on her hand and the NASA logo in the background.

Talk About It!

  • Nichelle Nichols was a role model because she showed people that Black women belonged in important places and could do important things.
  • Do you have a role model or someone that makes you feel proud and welcomed? What makes this person your role model?

Play a Game: This or That?

How to Play:

  • One person asks a "This or That" question (see questions below).
  • Everyone playing the game answers the question. If they feel like it, they can describe why they chose that answer. 
  • Players take turns asking a different question. 
  • Use the questions below to get started, and make up your own!

Here are some questions to ask, related to science fiction and future technology:

  • Flying cars or personal rocket packs?
  • Robot to make your bed or robot to practice sports with?
  • Teleport to school or go to school on a hoverboard?
  • Home in space or home on Earth?
  • Food like it is now or food in a pill?
  • Smartphone or smart armband?
  • Would you rather travel to space in an elevator or a rocket?

You can also create your own!

At-Home Story Time Suggestions

Check out these science fiction books at your school or library!

A cover of a book showing a boy and a dog on a rocketship/motorcycle jetting through a Martian landscape. The text reads "There's Nothing to Do On Mars, Chris Gall"

There's Nothing to Do on Mars by Chris Gall

Book Cover: Boy + Bot

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Book cover of Interstellar Cinderella

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Meg Hunt

Activity: Make a Science Fiction Comic Strip

Materials Needed: 

  • paper
  • drawing materials, like a pencil, crayons, or markers
  • image of objects from the Museum

Step 1: Think about what science fiction story you'd like to tell. Use these images to help with your storytelling.

Upper body of a robot with arms, chest with a NASA logo, and an orange face cover.

Want to create a story about robots? Use this image of a NASA robonaut for inspiration.

<i>Curiosity</i> Self Portrait

Want to create a story about vehicles on other planets? Use this image of NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover for inspiration.

An illustration of a dwelling in space. Someone runs on a treadmill on a second floor of a bunker, while someone stands below, and someone is in a space suit outside.

Want to create a story about living in space? Use this image for inspiration.

Step 2: Watch this video for instructions on how to make your own comic strip. 
Have your materials ready so you can follow along!

 

It's Craft Time with Air and Space! Create your own comic strip adventure story! Join museum educator Ann Caspari as she demonstrates how to draw a simple comic strip and create your own space adventure story.

Step 3: Create your comic strip story

  • Think about who your main character is in your story, and where the story takes place. 
  • The first box will be the beginning of your story. The characters and the setting of the story are introduced here.
  • The second box is for the middle of your story, which usually show something that is happening with your character.
  • The third box is where you end the story (for now!)

Step 4: Share your comic with someone!

Soar Together at Air and Space is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman.

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