IGNITE X

https://github.com/vrjixed/ignitexnasa

https://prezi.com/view/xzuiYG02K93WhJe72rXF/

IgniteX: Sunstruck Dreams is a digital interactive comic book that conveys the key findings and facts of the Parker Solar Probe Mission as an adventure story. X-boii is the leading character who is the pilot of this mission - the story takes you on a journey as if you were a co-pilot narrating important facts around the following

1. Know the Space Parker -how is it built and what are the guiding scientific principles?
2. Launching Parker to space - what it took and what were the challenges?
3. Venus Gravity Slingshots - how did the probe get closer to the Sun's corona?
4. Solar Mystery - what happens in the weather around the sun?
5. Sunstruck - what happened when the probe reached the Sun?

The story unfolds as a comic strip with hidden gems - Tapping on the AR icon brings the Parker solar probe to your living room with interactive touch points to augment the learning. Simple engaging interactivity like rotating the probe is created to encourage kids to participate in the learning.

The entire experience is deployed as an android application with open access (a test-flight link is provided along with the apk). Readers flips through the pages depicting various scenes by swiping across and we embed the relevant AR experience on each screen. As they progress through the pages, they see the rocket icon at the bottom slider move across and bring them closer to the sun.

The app is built to be deployed on the Google Play store and is compatible for both android mobile devices and tablets. We have used the Unity Codebase to build the app, AR and interactive elements . Open source and copyrighted assets were used in designing and animating the comic storyboard.

The key benefit of using the comic storytelling with AR interactivity is to :

1. Spark the curiosity of the young and kickstart their imagination, improving their cognitive development
2. Encourage their curiosity about the universe's brightest star and educate them on the Know-how of a space mission that helps in exploring the Sun
3. Provide "clarifying examples, extra-lingual information, and context for interpretation," which facilitates learning via graphic illustrations
4. Enhance the ability of students to remember what they’ve learned by combining interactivity and engagement with emotion

The scientific data used to build the story is taken from the Nasa resource repository provided for this hackathon. Inspirations for the comic AR app is drawn from First Woman and the work we have done for NZ's Ministry of Education to convey cultural history.

All images and assets used within the app are copyrighted and paid for by us.

We absolutely had a blast as a team working out of the same place in Christchurch, NZ. It was a good break from our project driven work-days - gave us an opportunity to let our explorative senses kick in and work on one of the passionate areas for all of us - SPACE.

It was one of the easiest virtual event in terms of communication, platform efficiency and precise definitions - slack channels were super helpful. Venus, our local lead was fantastic with the support pre-event to help us get organised.

The accessibility to resources and clear pointers on where to find more by NASA made our process so much easier and faster - we could get onto direct ideation without having to research extensively on what the challenge meant.

• Parker Solar Probe Touches the Sun

• NASA's Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun For The First Time

• Parker Solar Probe overview

• Parker Solar Probe’s Heat Shield (Why Won’t Parker Solar Probe Melt?)

• Parker Solar Probe Encounters Space Dust

• Five Weird Things that Happen in Outer Space

• Five New Discoveries from Parker Solar Probe

#app #AR #comic