F1 in Space

In the future, F1 is in space. And you are the galaxy's fastest driver. The race begins now.

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Stories of optimistic sci-fi that give you energy and something to talk about. Think bigger.

Welcome to the show

where we tell optimistic sci-fi stories. Today's story is called

F1 in Space

Let's get into it.

350 from now,

Formula One racing is in space.

And you are the galaxy's best driver. You grab the steering wheel of your ship. You and your team have perfected its propulsion

and its space-time warping. The starting line is just outside Earth. Finish line: two thousand miles past Saturn.

The nineteen other drivers are fast, especially Jatly.

But you are faster, and you're ready. Huge lights stretch across Earth's orbit. One 📍 light on. Two.

Three.

Four. Five. And the race is on.

You press go and take off toward Mars. Faster and faster. One million,

two million,

three million miles per minute. Space starts blurring around you.

The race is eight hundred million miles,

and you're looking to beat five hours.

First decision coming up. Go left or right around Mars? Other drivers start veering left. Safe choice given Mars's current position. But that's not your style. You go right to pick up speed. 📍 You see Jatly on your tail. He's new, he's hungry, and

crap, he's caught up to you. Let's see how he does in the asteroid belt.

You could give yourself endless miles of space between the huge rocks,

but you need the fastest route,

and that means right into the cluster at the center,

threading between asteroids miles wide. You go left by one

and then right by another. Jatly is right behind you,

copying your route. Smart guy.

Suddenly, rock debris from nowhere hits your ship. It's not big, but at your speed it's enough. Oh, boy. It dents the ship and you start leaking fuel. You slow down, only a fraction, but it's enough for Jatly.  

He takes the lead as you both fly out of the asteroid belt toward Jupiter.

 But here's some good news.

Your team's on the other side of the giant planet.    They can repair your ship.  You've just got to  get there.

Jatly goes close to Jupiter on the left side pass. He's going to use its gravity to give him a slingshot. You do it too. The gravity's force is intense. Your ship starts shaking. More fuel pours out.

Ouch.  

But you catch the turn right,

and you shoot past Jupiter toward your team's station.  They're ready for you.

But hold on. Hold on.

Jatly's ahead. If you stop for repair, you might never catch up. If you don't stop,

your energy supply will run out before the finish line. Jatly's already going around Saturn's outer rings.

Okay. Okay, you have an idea. One chance for a shortcut:

the D ring gap. It's the space between Saturn and its closest ring.

Going up through the rings on the bottom,

then right next to Saturn itself,

and then back out through the rings on top.

Dangerous. It's gonna be crazy gravity.

But it's your shot. You take it.

You fly up past the south ring, straight toward the planet.

Your ship starts shaking. You weave in and out of the bright rings of ice. You're getting closer and closer to Saturn. At the last moment, you veer to the left,

surfing up right next to Saturn itself.

It's now bright gold and yellow,

enormous and glorious in your view. Your ship is shaking. The speed is insane. Fuel is leaking. Space is bending. "Come on,"

you cry out loud.

"Come on!"

The ship starts veering left and right. You're almost out of control. It's about to fall apart. But suddenly,

you're at the other side of Saturn.

You shoot out toward the top rings,

weaving in and out of their dense ice chunks.  

You've got barely any fuel left,

but it should be enough.

📍 The finish line is only 1,000 miles away,

but there's Jatly in the lead. Everything you've got, give it now. You get caught behind Jatly. His velocity is rippling space behind him. With that ripple and your speed,

you're moments away from a time vortex.

And traveling back in time

is automatic disqualification.

You jolt left and then push right. You're free again. You've nearly caught Jatly. Closer and closer, and then  

Jatly crosses the finish line band between the end stations.  

You cross. But four miles behind. A fraction of a fraction of a moment.

Your ship's final fuel runs out.

Jatly won.

But you made it,

and you'll get another chance beyond the solar system

in the next race.

 Besides. The Grand Prix in Orion's Belt is your favorite.

Thanks for listening to today's story. Here's a question to leave you with. Think about some other activities that we could do in space in the future.

Other sports like running or swimming. How could they look in space? What about dancing?

So what's an activity that you do on Earth now

that you would want to do in space in the future?