Fact, Fiction, or Future: The Martian Code

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox   In your face, Neil Armstrong!  –Mark Watney Introduction In 2011, science fiction fans everywhere were treated to a literary feast. Andy Weir’s The Martian became a near instant bestseller and catapulted its obscure author to fame. Four years later, The Martian was adapted into an award-winning film directed by sci fi legend Ridley Scott. The book tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and mechanical engineer of the Ares 3 mission to Mars. During a sandstorm, the crew is forced to abort the mission. In the process, Watney is struck by flying ...

3D Printing Comes to Camp Infinity

Camp Infinity is constantly evaluating the latest technology in an effort to discern when it is appropriate to add something new to our summer STEM camps. This allows the camp to stay on the leading edge. However, the most important goal, as with everything at Camp Infinity, is to prepare campers to excel in their STEM related fields and do so with a biblical viewpoint. To this end, the past summer Camp Infinity is pleased to announce it has purchased two Micro M3D printers for camp. We will use the printers, among other things, to create a three-dimensional puzzle that ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future

Fact, Fiction, or Future is the brainchild of Camp Infinity Founder Dan Wooster as a way to educate campers on how popular culture impacts science and technology. The talk debuted at an evening meal during Overnight Camp 1 of CI 4.0. Topics such as warp drives to space battles were examined from both a scientific viewpoint and a biblical one. The campers were given certain scenarios and asked whether the results were fact, fiction, or future. They were then given the chance to discuss as a group before being shown the answer. Some of the answers were surprising even to ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future: Ready Player One

Introduction Ever since the printing of the first novel, authors have imagined vast, impossible worlds filled with a myriad of fascinating characters. For many years these creations resided only in the minds of readers. Then came the question: Could these worlds be made real? Not just real to the mind of the reader, but a literal world you could feel and enjoy? A whole new topic began to make its way into science fiction: virtual reality. Soon novels, films, and videogames began to explore the concept of what such a virtual world could be like and what consequences it could ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future: Deep Impact

Introduction Have you ever attended an old fashioned shooting gallery? A staple of old time films and popular novels, this type of entertainment was a popular attraction at most carnivals. At the booth, a rifle is fired to destroy targets at various distances in a variety of shapes. Sometimes the targets move; especially hard to hit, these garner a great deal of satisfaction when successfully taken down. This is all good, clean fun, but did you realize that the earth itself is a target in the middle of a gigantic shooting gallery? Our planet is but one of countless asteroids, ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future: The Ringworld Hypothesis

Introduction It has been called the game that sold the Xbox. When it released, Halo: Combat Evolved revolutionized the modern first person shooter genre and set the benchmark for many games that would follow. The titular “halo” of the name comes from a massive space station that is the setting of the game.  It is a megastructure shaped like a giant wedding ring. Halo with its grand scale, earthlike climate, and aura of mystery is one of the most familiar fictional locations of all time. However, is this just fiction? Could we build a halo ring? The Definition of BIG ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future: The Warp Drive

Introduction The story of Star Trek has become a cultural phenomenon in recent decades. Almost everyone who owns or has owned a television has heard of the venerable Starship Enterprise and its five year mission to explore the universe. Throughout the show travel from planet to planet and star to star is presented as a routine and simple endeavor. However, any organization that has seriously investigated long distance space travel knows it is not that easy. Space is just that...space. Its distances boggle the human mind and make Captain Kirk wannabes cringe. Thankfully Star Trek had an answer for these ...

Fact, Fiction, or Future: A Look at the More Fantastic Side of Popular Culture

Introduction Almost everyone has a favorite television show, movie, or book. There are many genres; two of the most famous being science fiction and fantasy. Giants like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings permeate our cultural imagination. For most, these are modes of entertainment, a way to relax from life and its stresses. It is called fiction after all, meaning not reality, but could it ever be? What happens when the science fiction we view on our television screens loses the second word? Fact, Fiction, or Future? Fact, Fiction, or Future is a unique discussion created by Camp ...