Using Folktale Characters to Tell Stories about Earth Science Satellites

Science storytelling is often delivered as creative non-fiction. However, its also possible for science storytelling to tap into fiction or fantasy. Due to movies seen worldwide, many fiction/fantasy characters are well-known and beloved, and the public's interest in the characters can be an entry point to garner interest in Earth science. In this project, I transform public domain elements of characters from fairytales into Earth scientists involved with different missions at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). For example, the Little Mermaid (from Hans Christian Anderson) is an ocean scientist who uses JPL ocean altimeters (eg., Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich) to study sea level. The Snow Queen (also from Hans Christian Anderson) uses the JPL mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) to study ice loss in the Arctic. Cinderella (from the Brothers Grimm) transforms her heritage of chimney cleaning, coal smudges, and soot into work as a carbon scientist reliant on the JPL mission Orbiting Ocean Observatory-2/3. The princess who kisses a frog (Brothers Grimm) is reimagined as a coastal wetland scientist involved with JPLs Delta-X mission studying land loss on Louisianas coast. Only public domain elements sourced from the original fairytales are used, while still taking advantage of the fact that these characters are very well-known. The list of possible characters goes on, and abundant science stories are possible. In the example presented here, the frog-associated wetland scientist visits the other fairytale-inspired scientists to learn how increased atmospheric carbon, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise might exacerbate coastal land loss in her home in Louisiana. The story reveals the cause-and-effect linkages between these different Earth processes, and explores how JPL missions monitor these trends. While the most obvious audience is children, people of all ages who enjoy these fairytales, and some adults who otherwise are not interested in science, might also find it easier to learn and remember about interrelated Earth processes through fiction. These stories can take the form of presentations, comic strips/graphic stories, or animated videos. I am currently testing this project in rural North Carolina to see how upper-elementary/middle school kids receive it.