$1,000 a Plate

A team of observatory scientists on Mars struggles to protect costly photographic plates from tourist fireworks that spoil their exposures. They devise a publicity scheme publishing pseudo-scientific horoscopes to divert gamblers from particular casinos, extracting promises and payments while shaping public play. The tactic works for a time but is stopped by a directive from their parent institution, forcing them to pursue a gentler plan of exclusive tours and symbolic star-naming to curry favor with club owners. The story uses wry humor to explore the tension between scientific work and commercial entertainment, showing how pragmatic manipulation and compromise are employed to safeguard research.