I will be the guest speaker at the Friday, March 27th meeting of the Mississauga Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada to give a presentation on “Science Fiction and Space Flight”. The talk will start at 8:00pm in Room DV2072 on the second floor of the William G. Davis Building at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Admission is free and a copy of my short fiction collection Just Like Being There will be raffled!

Presentation Synopsis:

Centuries before the Space Age and continuing to the present day, people have journeyed to the stars vicariously through science fiction. The links between science fiction and the real-life space program are implicit and numerous. This presentation will show the links between science fiction and the real-life space program. Public attitudes to science, our knowledge of the Universe, science and technology, and aerospace professionals all inspire works of science fiction. In turn, science fiction can influence aerospace careers, perceptions of the space program, politics and funding, and even space missions themselves. The presentation will conclude with a look at the links between science fiction and the ongoing exploration of Mars.