Farmer in the Sky allows us to see what happens to a group of people who are removed from their usual environment and placed in a new one. The settings of the transport ship and the Ganymede facilities resemble a laboratory, and the pioneers refer to their planet-roving expeditions as "experiments." In these laboratories and through these experiments, the unfamiliar surroundings of Ganymede and the familiar habits brought from Earth are intermingled to create a new breed of explorer and settler.

As might be expected, the pioneers cling to familiar objects that provide security and a sense of connection with the past. Bill's Scout uniform is an example. He refuses to leave it behind, but it slowly deteriorates as the travelers move farther away from Earth. The beliefs and goals of Scouting represented by the uniform do not deteriorate, however. On the contrary, they are strengthened...