ESW2

Tampa | Creative Data Display with the Parker Solar Probe

Solar Rush - A Journey Towards the Sun!

High-Level Project Summary

The game is based on the Solar wind particles and Coronal Mass Ejection data collected from the Parker Solar Probe. The game currently has 4 difficulty levels that represent different conditions that the probe is subjected to, as the probe gets closer to the sun, the temperature and solar wind velocities increases. Also, it gives a simple representation of the effects of the Coronal Mass Ejections effects, as a disruption of navigation systems and reduced structural integrity of the Parker Solar Probe.The game is aimed to increase the interest in space sciences academic fields using a fun and simple interface.

Link to Final Project

https://lucastemb.itch.io/solar-rush

Link to Project "Demo"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB4nvq8fTo8

Detailed Project Description

The purpose of our project is to have an interactive interface where users can appreciate the data collected from multiple instruments from the Parker Solar probe in a simple and fun way of understanding it.

The game is based on the solar wind particles and Coronal Mass Ejection data collected from the Solar Parker Probe on the Near-Sun Environment.

Simulation of the Parker Solar Probe introduces the NASA initiative

The game simulates NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission.

The user becomes the Captain of Solar Rush’s mission and must complete its objectives.
The probe must use sensors to capture solar wind information. As it is captured, information about the solar wind is displayed.
The Captain must understand that the probe is protected from radiation by a Heat Shield which must face the sun to protect vulnerable components,
The probe suffers rapid changes in orientation due to radiation pressure that is represented by the rotation of the solar probe when it is in contact with an incoming coronal mass ejection.
An important task of the Captain is to warn scientists and engineers of an incoming Coronal Mass Ejection to prevent technological catastrophes on the Earth.

The game intrigues the audience about the STEM field:

It currently has 4 difficulty levels that represent different conditions that the probe is subjected to; initially the probe is relatively far from the sun, so the temperature experienced and solar wind velocities experienced by the probe are at its lower values, as the probe gets closer to the sun, the temperature and solar wind velocities is increased, which is represented in a change of color of the sun, starting from red (lowest temperatures recorded) up to white (highest temperatures recorded), and the closer you get, the faster the particles move.

As levels are completed, a text about what was done thanks to the amount of information collected is displayed.

Examples of text by milestone completion:

Great work, Captain __. For the first time we were able to observe solar wind while it was still rotating instead of straight out in all directions as seen near Earth. Now scientists have more evidence to understand the lifecycle of stars and the formation of planets.
Your contribution in data collection has helped humans develop a new spacecraft fuselage capable of withstanding the largest amount of solar radiation ever seen.
The Solar Rush mission’s information about Alfvén waves led to the first-ever nuclear power station that uses nuclear fusion; creating energy thanks to a process similar to what happens at the Sun’s core.
The mission’s measurements helped scientists unravel the sources, acceleration, and transport of solar energetic particles. Engineers have now produced the best satellite and astronaut protection in history.

These milestones are related to already achieved accomplishments or hopefully future accomplishments.

How did we do it?

The main tool we used was the PICO-8 Virtual Console. It’s lightweight in nature, and its built-in limitations (i.e the 8192 token limit) forces the user to adhere to the hardware restrictions of the early 80s and 90s. This is done purposefully to force programmers to be more resourceful and nifty. The aesthetic is also endearing and inviting because it is nostalgic and familiar to many.

The scale of the project warranted the need for a tool such as PICO-8, which has tools such as a sprite editor, tile map, and music tracker. These tools make it convenient for developers to consolidate all aspects of design simultaneously without needing to transfer data from separate programs.

In addition, PICO-8 also encourages users to code in Lua, and because of its syntax it makes it easy to transfer thought into code, which proves to be valuable when you are forced to think quickly.

Finally, PICO-8 was the clear choice for the tool I would build my project on because of its uniqueness as well as the ease at which you can share the projects that you have created. PICO-8 files are so small in size that they can be exported as html and javascript files that don’t exceed 33KB in size, which is perfect when you are looking to share data with others, (in this case, the judges).

Final marks

Ultimately, the game is focused on increasing the interest and awareness of the common population to get them involved and interested in the STEM community. So in the future, STEM professionals could be integrated into the working force of the nation

Space Agency Data

We used the data that NASA offers regarding the characteristics of the solar wind speed and temperatures that the Parker Solar Probe recollects during its passage on the Near-Sun environment. The data collected provided us useful information at the moment of coding and developing up the main objective of the videogame, which is collecting these particles.

The Data collected from the Coronal Mass Ejection events was used for creating the main obstacle that the player is going to experience on the game run, issues like electronic disruptions and high-wind speeds that these events produce are represented during the gameplay as a challenge that the players needs to prepare and overcome to achieve the mission objective.

The information gathered from the official Parker Solar Probe website was useful for generating a relatively simple but accurate representation of the spacecraft and the objective of its instruments.

Lastly, we used data gathered by the Solar Dynamics Observatory about the one minute average of irradiance, which we used for generating an approximate representation of density of solar wind particles, while maintaining certain stability and simplicity for the gameplay.

Hackathon Journey

Undertaking the Space Apps Challenge proved insightful and transformative. It allowed us to use our skills in new ways. Our team had to solve issues during the game's main development, such as the implementation of hit detection, collision, and difficulty. The Parker Solar probe provides essential data that enhances many features we created. We had to learn new skills on the fly. Learning how to deal with timing functions that model sunspots to recreating solar flares, our team had to create unique solutions. We primarily chose this challenge for two reasons: experience and interest. We felt uniquely positioned to tackle this problem because of our prior knowledge and experience in creating games and programs. We chose this problem mainly because of previous expertise and the challenge of using satellite data to inform and educate the public through video games. Our team took inspiration from Atari-era video games, such as Galaga and Space Invaders. The approach we used took our inspirations and blended them with the current mission of the Parker Solar probe. The game, Solar Rush, would allow players to collect particles that change the speed and temperature of the probe while also trying to avoid solar flares from damaging and destroying the satellite. We encountered several challenges during development, from more technical issues to design differences. The time given for development before the deployment of the game also made it more challenging to develop. When there was an issue or design difference, we would have to make a final decision to make sure progress moved so we could meet deadlines. Communication had to be clear and direct to make sure we met deadlines and solved issues that arose. Our team would like to thank NASA for allowing us to compete in the Space Apps Challenge.