R-SPEC Home Page

Human-habitable planets are a staple of science fiction, but not everyone has the technical background to construct self-consistent, scientifically accurate, and believable worlds. Our March 3 meeting is for the SF writer who needs a plausible background for his story, but doesn’t know how to go about creating it.

We’ll discuss the factors that make a planet habitable for humans, and put bookends on the physical attributes that a terrestrial planet can have and still support a human-compatible biosphere. Along the way, we’ll note which parameters the writer has a free hand to twiddle with, and discuss some of the narrative “color” waiting to be found in the superficially dry data that describe a planet. There will be a Q&A session after the talk, and, if time permits, we’ll try our hands at designing a planet or two.

Moderator: Lynn Spitz
Location: Barnes & Noble, Pittsford
Meeting Time: March 3, 2015 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.