Blue Marble

Gauhati | On the Way to the Sun

Sol

High-Level Project Summary

Sol is an interactive web application that aims to bring the story of Dr. Parker and the Parker Space Probe to younger audiences. Sol is designed to take the viewer step-by-step through the probe’s journey while exercising their curiosity and drive to learn.

Link to Final Project

https://resol.vercel.app/

Link to Project "Demo"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S2ydpjflq8

Detailed Project Description

Sol is an interactive web application that aims to bring the story of Dr. Parker and the Parker Space Probe to younger audiences.

The story follows six main parts, each divided further into individual topics:

Let’s Begin
The Parker Space Probe
The Mission

This section gives an introduction to what the Parker Solar Probe is, and it’s primary mission to uncover the many mysteries of the Sun - including those of the corona’s heat and solar wind’s speed

The Man Who Saw the Sun
Meet Dr. Parker
Dr.Parker’s Idea
Rejection
Vindication

This section focuses on Dr. Eugene Parker, and goes into the scientist he was, his theory about solar winds, the criticism and rejection of his idea by the scientific community, and the eventual validation of it through the findings of the Mariner 2 spacecraft.

The Winds Blow
The Solar Wind
The Solar Wind and Earth

This section goes into detail about the solar wind, what it is, why it occurs, how it affects Earth phenomena, and the many mysteries that scientists have yet to uncover about it.

A Marvel of Engineering
The Solar Probe Plus
Probe Instruments
To Honor a Legend

This section takes a look at the titular solar probe, how the mission came to be, the various instruments equipped and each of their roles on the mission, as well as the eventual renaming of the probe in honor of Dr.Parker.

Taking to the Stars
The Launch
Let Gravity Do the Work
Discovering Switchbacks
Discovering the Dust-Free Zone
Touching the Sun

This section looks into the launch of the probe, the trajectory by which it reaches the Sun through Venus, the various discoveries made by the probe including those of switchbacks and the dust-free zone, and the moment at which the probe enters the outer corona to touch the sun.

Moving Forward
In Memory of a Legend
Looking to the Future

This section concludes the story with the passing of Dr.Parker, a reflection on his contributions to the field of astrophysics, and the future plans of the Parker Solar Probe as it continues its mission.

The timeline beneath the main frame allows the viewer to keep track of their progress, as well as easily switch to different sections of the narrative.

On each frame of the narrative, there exists special collectibles in the form of stamps. These stamps can be collected by interacting with the many keywords, links, and videos on the page. Each of these stamps correspond to a different solar event, with a total of 10 stamps to collect.

The unique stamps available to collect are:

Coronal Hole ( x2 )
Coronal Loop ( x2 )
Solar Flare ( x2 )
Active Sun
Plasma Blast ( x2 )
Sunspot

Achievements can also be gained by completing each section of the story in the form of progress achievements.

These collectibles and achievements are designed to reward the viewer for being curious and exploring each page of the application, and as well as for making continuous progress through the narrative.

Space Agency Data

While doing our research, our team was taken aback by the overwhelming depth of knowledge there is to find about the sun. We knew it was huge, but just not this huge; We knew it was hot, but we never realized just how hot it actually was.

It was fascinating to us just how little we knew about the sun, the ball of light we look up to every morning.

We wanted to bring this experience to the general audience, to every layman and kindergarten kid who could want to learn more about mysteries and wonders of our universe. This is what inspired us to take up the task to provide knowledge to curious minds, and anyone with the zeal to learn.

The Data we used is from the Open NASA sources such as the various affiliate websites linked with nasa.gov websites. This includes clips trimmed from the Youtube videos published by the NASA Channel and any affiliate links.

Specific examples of what data we used:

Parker Solar Probe whistler mode waves - 1 : sonification of whistler mode waves detected by FIELDS https://soundcloud.com/jhu-apl/psp-whistler-mode-waves-1?in=jhu-apl/sets/sounds-of-the-solar-wind
The Timeline of Events http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php#Timeline
Animated videos of the mission

http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/Animations.php

Hackathon Journey

Our journey starts with a problem: How can we bring the full depth of the Parker Space Probe experience to a younger audience?

When our team first chose “On The Way To The Sun”, we were hit face-first with this problem. There could be a hundred different answers, but only one would be the path we walk.

While brainstorming, we realized two things. oo

First, we needed to tell a story.

Researching about the Parker Space Probe revealed behind it a fascinating story. One about ridicule and defeat, and sticking to your convictions despite it. It is a story driven by curiosity and the desire to learn more. It is a story about a sixty year long dream to take technology and our own understanding of the universe right to the source: The Sun!

Every good story needs a hero. In our case, that hero was Dr. Eugene Parker.

The second thing we realized is that we needed a way to do justice to the journey of Dr.Parker and the probe, while keeping the spirit of exploration, curiosity, and progress alive.

To do this, we decided to take advantage of simple curiosity by having a progression system throughout the narrative, and rewarding the viewer throughout with collectibles and achievements to find and obtain. These achievements can be to anything from making progress in the story, to discovering a hidden fact, to stamps scattered across every page, to even noticing a small detail that few would give a second thought to.

We wanted this achievement system to keep the viewer curious and on their toes as we take them though the Parker Space Probe story. You never know when a new achievement is coming next!

As we worked on our project, we would often take moments to look around at the other teams working around us, or talk to the volunteers who would approach us. It was little moments like these that reminded us that we were part of a greater whole of the hackathon, and pushed us forward through the tough hours of the hackathon.

Speaking of tough hours, our greatest challenge was just that: time. We had 24 hours to complete our project, and it seemed like our entire efforts were shadowed by the ever-ticking clock. As one would expect from a hackathon, the seconds turned into minutes and then to hours, running faster than we could keep up with.

While many ideas and details were lost to the clock, our team is still extremely proud of what we were able to pull off and put out within the time we were given. The rush and excitement of working through an entire design and prototyping cycle in 24 hours is an unforgettable one.

To everyone who helped us experience this - to our parents, our college, and the SpaceApps organizing team - thank you from team Blue Marble.