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First Contact: Tenalpon
The Planet
Tenalpon is an earthlike planet, with a surface gravity of
.97 earth-normal. It is slightly
smaller than Earth, but somewhat denser. It
has an oxidizing atmosphere made up primarily of nitrogen and oxygen, with small
amounts of carbon dioxide and trace amounts of argon and other gases.
It has an active tectonic structure, with significant volcanism.
The surface is mostly water. The
only large continent is in the western hemisphere; it is long and narrow,
stretching from about 20 degrees south latitude to about 25 degrees north
latitude, and has about two-thirds as much land area as Asia.
The next largest land mass is an island about 700 miles south-southwest
of the major continent; this island is a little less than half the size of
Australia. There are two other
sizeable islands and a number of smaller ones in the western hemisphere,
including a chain of volcanic islands in the equatorial region.
The eastern hemisphere contains only a few widely scattered islands.
The major continent varies considerably in topography and
climate. Orbital surveys have
revealed that the northern third of the continent is largely mountainous, with
one very active volcano in the far north. A
large central valley to the south of this volcano shows evidence of extensive
geothermal activity, possibly hot springs or geysers. High plains lie to the east of the mountains; these are
covered in forest and grassland. The
long peninsula which forms the northern extremity of the continent is also
forested. The northern portion of
the continent includes several major river systems. The climate of the north ranges from cool temperate to
subarctic.
The central portion of the continent is partly grassland
and prairie, extending almost to the planet’s equator. Much of this area is dry or even semi-arid, with most of the
large river systems occurring either to the north or the south.
The equatorial region itself is occupied by an extensive and densely
canopied rain forest, somewhat larger than the Amazon basin on Earth.
A major river system flows through the rain forest, rising in the Isthmus
Mountains to the south, and ending in an extensive delta on the eastern shore of
the continent. Orbital surveys were
able to supply very little meaningful detail about what lies below the forest
canopy. The climate of the central
region ranges from subtropical to tropical.
The southern portion of the continent is also largely
grassland and prairie, with forested areas extending along a peninsula at the
southeastern tip of the land mass. Orbital
surveys show the terrain to include flat plains and rolling hills.
The Isthmus Mountains divide this portion of the continent from the
equatorial rain forest to the north. A
large river system rises in the Isthmus Mountains; its drainage basin is
extensive, including most of the southern region.
The climate of the southern region is mid-temperate.
Study of the planet’s ecosystem has only recently begun;
little current information is available beyond that gathered by the colony’s
scientific personnel. It has been
determined that planetary biochemistry is similar to that of Earth, and that at
least some of the native plant and animal forms could be suitable as food
sources.
Tenalpon also has an unusually large moon, about the
diameter of Mars, but somewhat denser, with a surface gravity of .45
Earth-normal. This moon has an
oxidizing atmosphere of its own and supports a primitive ecosystem which may be
related to the ecosystem of the planet and possibly shares a common origin with
it. For humans, the moon’s
atmosphere is barely breathable (about like Earth at 18,000 feet above sea
level). The moon has been partially
mapped from orbit, but is otherwise unexplored.
The moon and planet are about 700,000 miles apart and orbit about a
common center of gravity. The
moon’s gravitational influence produces unusually large tides in the
planet’s ocean.
A Possible Scenario
Human colonists arrived on Tenalpon just over a year and a
half ago. The colonists are all
specialists in their own fields, but they are all trained and experienced in
additional areas as well—farming, craftsmanship of various sorts, etc.
They are a relatively small group, but they are fully equipped to
establish a self-sufficient colony, as well as to explore, study and evaluate
the planet. They have settled in
the southern portion of the main continental land mass; most of the rest of the
planet is still unexplored.
Immediately upon their arrival, they worked quickly and
effectively to establish shelter and basic services. They have just successfully harvested their first crops;
their “Thanksgiving” harvest festival has become the first officially
designated holiday.
An exploring party has just returned from the north.
They crossed the Isthmus Mountains and penetrated a short distance into
the central rain forest. There they
discovered evidence of an indigenous intelligent species.
The nature of this species’ culture is still unclear; the explorers
avoided contact and believe that they avoided being detected by the natives.
They did, however, discover evidence of an impending gathering of the
natives at a site on the southern edge of the rain forest.
They are sure that the gathering—the festival, or council, or ceremony,
or whatever it is—will be at its height in about three weeks.
The human colonists have held a council of their own and
have decided to attempt to make first contact with the natives at this
gathering.
The Groups
Three groups will be involved in this historic first
contact.
- The
aliens, who have their own concerns, their own customs, their own moral and
cultural standards.
- The
humans, who are charged with the safety of the colony and the success of its
mission.
- The
mediators/ecologists, who are charged with developing the alien environment
and its relationship to both the human colonists and the native population
(the aliens).
Each student will be a member of one of these groups.
The group will first have to flesh out its portion of the scenario—the
nature of the native culture, the background and responsibilities of the humans,
or the nature of the local planetary conditions and human interactions with it.
They will then have to work with the other groups to determine how the
“first contact” scenario will go. First
contact will occur during a special class session in December.
Group Tasks
- The
Aliens: The members of
this group will essentially have to invent themselves, designing their own
appearance, physiology, culture, eating habits, living arrangements,
tools/technology, etc. You will
have to stay in touch with the scientific group to make sure that your
species is consistent with the overall biology of the rest of the planet.
Above all, try to invent a genuinely different species and
culture—resist the B-movie tradition of putting a human in a rubber suit
and calling it a Martian. Here
are some questions to consider:
- What
do you look like? What is
your body shape and size? How
many limbs do you have? Do
you have fur, bristles, a hard shell?
What are your sensory organs like?
- What
do you eat and how do you supply yourselves with food?
Are you herbivores, carnivores, omnivores?
Are you hunter-gatherers, farmers, ranchers?
- How
do you communicate? Do you
have a spoken language, or do you communicate by some other means?
Do you keep records of any sort?
- Are
you organized into communities? What
sort of organization do you have? Do you have a formal government?
- Do
you have family units? What
are they like?
- Are
there specialized divisions within the species? Are
there specialized tasks assigned to particular groups?
- Do
you use tools? What sorts,
and how sophisticated are they? What
are they made of? How
technologically advanced are you?
- Do
you wear clothing or protective garments of any kind?
- Do
you build structures such as houses or temples or monuments?
What materials do you use? How
elaborate are the structures and what are their purposes?
- Do
you have religious beliefs or practices?
- How
do you treat your young? How
do you treat your elderly? How
do you handle your dead?
- How
much do you know of your own world and what is your view of the outside
universe?
- What
is your attitude toward strangers?
- Add
any other questions you can think of.
The starting point for this group
will be designing the alien creatures themselves. Here are some resources from the course web page that you
might find useful:
- The
Human Group: The
members of this group will have to work out the history and current status
of the humans: how you got here
and why you were sent, what resources you have, etc. You will also be concerned with how to keep the human
colonists safe while at the same time learning as much as possible.
You will have to stay in touch with the scientific group in order to
understand the alien environment you are faced with.
Above all, you have to see the “big picture” and balance a number
of competing concerns against one another.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What
year is it?
- What
country or countries are you from?
- What
is your relationship with Earth?
- Do
you represent an organization or government of any kind?
- What
is the colony’s purpose or mission?
- What
has the history of Earth been like since 2007, and how has that shaped or
influenced the nature of your expedition? Try to work out a brief narrative of the history that
got you here.
- What
level of technology does humanity have at this point?
- What
sort of family structure and/or social organization does the colony have?
What sort of gender relationships?
- How
is the colony governed?
- How
many people does the colony have?
- What
resources (tools, supplies, weapons, etc.) do you have at your disposal?
- What
sort of physical infrastructure have you established so far?
- Do
you already have any directives regarding first contact with an
intelligent alien species?
- How
can you best ensure the short-term and long-term safety of the colonists?
- What
responsibilities do you have towards the aliens?
- What
do you hope to gain from establishing contact with the aliens?
- Add
any other questions you can think of.
This group is going to have to do a lot of its work
on its own, and with input from the mediators/ecologists group.
However, at least one site includes some “future history” that you
might find useful as a model:
- The
Mediators/Ecologists: The
members of this group will have to design the planet’s physical
environment and biosphere: its
plants and animals, its natural hazards, additional details of its terrain
and climate, etc. You are
concerned with learning as much as possible about the planet’s
environment, as well as with determining short- and long-term consequences
of human activity. You are
interested in evaluating possible dangers and in locating resources that
might be of use to the colonists. You
will have to stay in touch with the aliens in order to keep the biology of
the planet consistent and with the “command” group in order to make the
activities of the human colonists meaningful and effective.
Above all, you must create an alien environment that works, that is
richly detailed, and that presents challenges without being overwhelming.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What
plant species have you observed so far?
What do they look like? Does
plant life reproduce by seeds, spores, or some other means?
Does the planet have the equivalent of grasses or flowering plants? What are its equivalents of trees and bushes?
Try to give examples of a representative range of plant types.
- Do
particular plant types grow in particular areas?
What ecological divisions and specializations have you observed?
- What
relationships of interdependence have you observed among plants?
Do some plants need other plants?
Compete with them? Crowd
them out?
- What
animal species have you observed? What
do they look like (body size and shape, number of limbs, body covering,
feeding mechanisms, sensory organs, etc.)?
What are their internal processes like?
Is there anything peculiar about their biochemistry?
Try to include at least a few examples of both large and small
herbivores and carnivores; try to include at least an omnivore or two.
- What
relationships of interdependence are there among animals and plants?
Do specific animals eat specific plant parts?
Do they use plants or plant parts for other purposes (camouflage,
protection, shelter, etc.)?
- Do
any plants eat animals or other plants?
- What
social organization is there in the animal species you have observed?
Do they travel in herds or hunt in packs?
Do any of them nurture their young or protect injured or aging
members?
- Where
does each animal species live—in swamps or grass or trees?
Does it have nesting or burrowing behaviors?
- What
threats do native plant and animal species present to humans?
Are any poisonous? Are
any carnivores especially aggressive, especially large, especially fast,
or especially territorial? Are
any herbivores especially territorial or especially protective of their
social groups? Are there any
unexpected risks associated with particular plants or animals?
- What
natural hazards are there—floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions, landslides, etc.? Does
the planet's over-sized moon present any special problems?
- Are
there particular plant or animal species that might be suitable as food
sources?
- Are
there particular plant or animal species that present threats to human
agriculture or domestic animals?
- Are
there any possible vectors for disease?
- Add
any other questions you can think of.
This group is going to need visual resources for
imagining alien creatures and scientific background for making them plausible.
Here are some resources from the course web page that you might find
useful:
Basic Guidelines for Collaboration
- Within
a Group
- Designate
a group facilitator. This
person will be responsible for keeping the group on task during group
meetings, for keeping track of who is doing what, for making sure the
group stays on schedule, etc. The
facilitator should have a good head for detail and should not be someone
who tends to dominate discussions. Don’t
just choose the person you happen to like the best.
- Exchange
contact information. Make
sure that everyone has a copy of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.
- Use
the skills of the individuals within the group. Before you assign tasks, find out what everyone is
comfortable doing, what they are good at, and what subjects they know a
good bit about.
- Sketch
out what you have to do as a group. Come
up with a list of all the tasks you have to accomplish—plants and
animals you have to design, or cultural practices you have to develop, or
organizational details you have to elaborate.
Be specific about this. Don’t
just dump a chunk of the task on someone’s lap and hope for the
best—make a detailed plan of what you want done before you divide up the
work.
- Divide
up the work. This sounds
obvious, but there will be a temptation to do too much of the work as a
group. Arrange to do as much
of the work as possible individually—you will get more done this way.
- Arrange
to meet regularly as a group. Even
if you are just comparing notes on what you have gotten done so far, you
will be surprised how much it helps to coordinate progress as a group.
The frequency and duration of these meetings is up to you, but at
least a few of them will occur outside of class time.
- Prepare
a written and/or visual presentation of your work so that you can share it
with the other groups and with me. If
all goes well, we might publish the whole project on the web.
- Evaluate
your own work and the work of the other members of the group.
You will turn in a written evaluation at the end of the semester to
assist me in grading the project. This
evaluation should include the following:
each person’s name, what tasks that person was responsible for,
how much time you estimate the person put in, the person’s quality of
effort, and a suggested grade for the person.
- Among
Groups
- Make
sure the other groups know what they need to know about your work.
The scientific group should be in regular communication with the
aliens, for instance, because the alien ecology and the intelligent
species have to be consistent with one another.
The two human groups will work even more closely with one
another—the “command” group has to know everything possible about
the planet in order to plan intelligently.
- Don’t
share too much information. Remember
that the final phase of the project is going to be first contact between
the humans and the aliens—the two populations should not already know
everything about one another’s culture, capabilities, intentions, etc.
- Plan
to use some class time for sharing information with the other groups.
It will be difficult to manage out-of-class meetings between
groups, so you should reserve at least 15 minutes per class to update the
other groups.
Links to Discussion Forums for Individual Groups
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