High-Level Project Summary
We went into this challenge with the goal of further enriching people's knowledge of our Sun, and the probes that observe it. And what better way to do that than through the power of Augmented Reality.Through Unity, we were able to fully develop a cross platform application that puts the 'universe' into the people's hands. The app works by conveying, through interactive text, speech and animation, the knowledge surrounding the various probes that observe our Sun.We wanted to help people better understand why NASA (and others) have invested so much resources into these probes, their missions, history, goals and much more. And we believe this application has succeeded in doing so.
Link to Project "Demo"
Link to Final Project
Detailed Project Description
For the design stage, we thought Adobe XD was the perfect fit for interactivity, as well as freedom to design whatever we could think of. Photoshop also came in handy when we needed to fine-tune certain elements, such as UI elements, infographic cards and so on.
Through Unity we were able to capitalize on the power of Augmented Reality and the handheld smartphone, and provide an experience that's truly breathtaking. Unity gave us an environment where we were only capped by our imagination.
We used C# in most of our project, and kept teammates up to date through version control, using Github. Most of our work was done on our own personal computers, as well as smartphones.
We kept in touch, brainstormed and shared our ideas through Discord, were we would share our screen and communicate, both verbally through calls and through text.
Space Agency Data
We mostly used NASA's open data, which was very rich and detailed. Personally, what inspired me the most throughout working with the data, was the intricacy and detail that was given to almost every part of the mission.
From the Ecliptic of the PSP, down to the seconds, to NASA's rich repository of all their missions, detailing it from start to finish.
Hackathon Journey
I think the biggest takeaway from this challenge, was providing something of value to the people. To further enrich their knowledge of space, our Sun and how we are ever so passionate to unlocking its mysteries. Perhaps this could spark a flame, create a ripple effect or even at the very least peak an interest, that would have made it worth all the while.
Below you can find a video link showing you a demo of our developed application:
References
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe
https://nasa.tumblr.com/post/176524436294/why-wont-our-parker-solar-probe-melt
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe-humanity-s-first-visit-to-a-star
https://spectrum.ieee.org/how-the-parker-solar-probe-survives-close-encounters-with-the-sun
https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SolarWind.shtml
Tags
#Space #Sun #AR #AugmentedReality #Unity #Probe #Parker #Design #App #Corona #Challenge
Global Judging
This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.