Launch of Love

Awards & Nominations

Launch of Love has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Global Nominee

Parker's Journey to the Sun

High-Level Project Summary

This is the story of a brave little probe, Parker. It outlines why he was created, his journey, and what he discovers along his mission. It does this in a comical, adventure driven, and educational way. The story also shows the conflict of wanting to go on an adventure, but being afraid to leave home. It explains some space phenomenon and the interaction with Venus as characters the probe meets throughout his journey.I believe that kids will enjoy this story because it's an interesting subject, told in a fun way, and encourages them to be brave and have fun adventures.

Link to Final Project

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OkORzKv2ABDdms8T6xSFnXO0G4pQgLLs/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105597243483037134150&rtpof=true&sd=true

Link to Project "Demo"

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kiCheZ7pEweo9-Y0Cuhq0Fl78i0czz9W/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105597243483037134150&rtpof=true&sd=true

Detailed Project Description

This project is a story, which I would have developed into a movie or Pixar-style movie short/series of shorts. It takes the viewer on a journey, with the probe as the main character. Dr. Eugene Parker is the father and the probe is the son he creates to explore his life's work. The story follows the probe, as he is built and learning how to move himself; it also shows some stress testing done, to ensure he can handle the stress of his mission. The probe is scared to leave home, as he knows this is a mission that he won't come back from. His dad reminds him he was destined to do great things and not be a regular robot on earth. The probe goes to outer space and meets characters such as the rockets, Venus, solar flares, CME's, switchbacks, and solar winds. In the end, he sends back photos to his dad of his adventures, which makes his dad very proud.

While creating this story, I was listening to the song Volare, by Danny Ocean. The tune matches the feel of the story and the title of the song, Volare, means to fly. The first line, "Volare contigo" translates to "I'll fly with you". Although the song is more romantic than that of a father/son relationship, I thought the sentiment closely matched that of the story.

Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz6jrJLQv3U

Space Agency Data

I used the videos and written content, provided by NASA, for the primary research on how the probe was built and launched, as well as the origins, flight path, and data collected. I also used an interview with Dr. Eugene Parker from 2018, as part of my research. While reading/watching these elements, I could see the story come together, telling the incredible story of the probe and its discoveries.

Hackathon Journey

I had a lot of fun creating this story. When I saw the challenge, I immediately thought of my two kids (age 5 and 8) and how they would want to see the information. The concept came to me as a Disney/Pixar style story, where the probe is a cartoon character, with emotions and challenges. I saw the elements he encountered on his journey also as characters, such as the solar flare which has a personality that helps explain its characteristics.

A setback for me was that I do not have design experience. I came up with the concept but was not able to give a proper visual presentation or visual short of what I had envisioned.

I collaborated with Dawn Desmarais, who helped me with character and story development. She had more ideas that, unfortunately, I was not able to develop and incorporate into the story, such as songs for each character to sing, helping to explain their personalities.