In the next edition you, the reader, can be featured in the Leonardo Times! The idea is simple: we propose a topic, you write, and whichever submission shows the most thought, creativity and meaning gets published. In celebration of the 16th lustrum of the VSV ‘Leonardo da Vinci’, the prompt for this competition is as follows:
What if a major turning-point in the last 80 years of aerospace history had gone differently?
We want you to focus on the repercussions that a different outcome of a major event would have had in the world of air/space travel. But remember, the world of aerospace does not exist in a vacuum! While we don’t want you to put excessive focus on non-aero space topics, the industry has direct interaction with sociopolitics, the economy, and the environment for example. Be creative but describe realistic outcomes, grounded in reality.
Do not choose “an event happening at a different time” nor a “non-event that could have happened”. Rather, we ask you to discuss a real moment in time, as if it had led to a different outcome.
Some example topics could be:
• Could we all be flying supersonic if the Concorde crash had not happened?
• What would have been the fate of international space laboratory research if the Apollo-Soyuz handshake had never happened?
• If the USSR had kept developing the Buran, could it have been the most used form of space travel?
• How would the airline industry look today if airlines had remained nationalised?
For your article, we expect the following:
A minimum of 2,000 words. More words are not penalised, but encouraged if they are
meaningful.
• In order to remain factual, cite your sources. It doesn’t have to be pure imagination. If the scenario can be backed with real data and studies, even better!
• The Leonardo Times is written in American English, so keep this in mind.
• The article must be handed in as a Word or Google Document before 10th June 2024. Incorrect formats or late entries will not be accepted.
• Add as many figures as you want, but make sure you have permission to use them!
• Send the article to [email protected] with the subject “A Different Future – [what your turning point is]”
Happy writing, and good luck!