Why Should We Imagine Solar Flares Taking Down International Space Stations?

More than just entertainment, science fiction informs the ways we think about how technology and science play out in real life. So what happens when a catastrophic solar flare paralyzes global space agencies and throws the world order into chaos?

This very scenario drives the plot of Deji Olukotun’s After the Flare, the compelling sequel to Nigerians in Space. The result is an introspective look at timely questions of technology and international ambition. 

Join Future Tense as we bring together Olukotun, an internet rights advocate and author, and Lucianne Walkowicz, astrophysicist and multimedia artist, to discuss the science behind solar flares and what we can learn about global tech policy through science fiction. 

After the conversation, please join us for happy hour drinks and light refreshments. 

Copies of After the Flare will be available for purchase by credit card or check at the event. 

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University. 

This event will be livestreamed on this page. Follow the conversation online using #AfterTheFlare and following @FutureTenseNow

Speakers: 

Deji Olukotun, @dejiridoo 
Author, After the Flare and Nigerians in Space 
Fellow, Future Tense 

Lucianne Walkowicz, @shaka_lulu 
Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Library of Congress 
Astronomer, Adler Planetarium 

Moderator: 

Kevin Bankston, @kevinbankston 
Director, Open Technology Institute at New America