Table 2. Overview of the student-designed science-fiction hazard scenario

Phase	Core scenario elements	Scientific & hazard focus	Decision points / SF features
Part 1: Planetary crisis	Earth’s magnetic field weakens, leading to gradual atmospheric loss due to solar wind exposure. A partial Mars terraforming project is initiated as a future adaptation strategy.	Geomagnetic protection, solar wind, atmospheric erosion, planetary habitability	Earth–Mars comparison; Mars as a model for Earth’s future
Space travel	A spacecraft carrying 50 people and robots travels to Mars using nuclear energy; crew enters hibernation to conserve resources.	Nuclear power, energy consumption, radiation shielding, long-duration space travel	Hard SF constraint: energy efficiency vs. risk
Plot Point 1: Waste dilemma	Nuclear waste storage reaches capacity before arrival at Mars, prompting debate over disposal strategies.	Nuclear waste, radiation risk, space debris, system failure	Branching decision: discard waste vs. conserve resources
Part 2: System failure	Sabotage of the nuclear reactor leads to overheating, explosion, and partial destruction of the spacecraft.	Reactor cooling systems, cascading technological failure, radiation exposure	Ethical conflict, responsibility, unintended consequences
Survival & arrival	Only part of the crew survives and reaches Mars after separating the spacecraft.	Emergency response, risk mitigation, survival under extreme constraints	Trade-offs between survival and loss
Plot point 2: Adaptation	Survivors attempt to adapt to Mars using domes, artificial magnetic fields, ecological systems, and protective technologies.	Atmospheric pressure, gravity, radiation, water acquisition, food systems	Partial adaptation and infeasibility of full control
Part 3: Temporal return	Some settlers return to Earth, discovering severe magnetic degradation due to relativistic time effects; adaptation knowledge is shared.	Relativity, communication disruption, long-term planetary risk	Time dilation as SF mechanism
Branching endings	Player choices lead to different outcomes, ranging from successful adaptation and survival to catastrophic failure.	Risk redistribution, ethical sacrifice, uncertainty	Multiple endings (successful adaptation vs. collapse)

This table summarizes the core narrative structure of the collaboratively designed science-fiction scenario, highlighting the scientific constraints, hazard mechanisms, and decision points that served as the basis for analysis. Detailed plot variations and endings were not analyzed individually but were examined as part of students’ reasoning about risk, adaptation, and responsibility.