Solar Road

Universal Event | On the Way to the Sun

On the Solar Road

High-Level Project Summary

“On the Solar Road” project is all about visual experience of the travel path of Solar Parker Probe. My idea was to develop project, where user would have a possibility to find quality information about probe’s journey, timeline, and mission itself, but also to find more about important events on the road to the Sun. My application could be used in first place as educational tool, and I tailored easy approachable and useful options for the users of this app. I believe that this application will boost interest for space exploration – from exploration of our star to the technologies connected to the space exploration in general.

Link to Final Project

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2cbZ9e6M9gtXpvKz0TkZuqcz11f-vwx/view?usp=sharing

Link to Project "Demo"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wjDoACBkKE

Detailed Project Description

With each new year, we are witnesses of rapid development of the cutting edge technologies, which we use in many areas of our life, but also and exceptional breakthrough these technologies made in world of science. NASA Space Apps Challenge is all about creative ways to express our knowledge and technical skills, and to bring something new in scientific world. For me, it is excellent opportunity to create solution for "On the Way to the Sun" challenge, where I worked hard to provide the best for the users, who want to find more about Parker Solar Probe Mission. For NASA Challenge in this year, I have decided to use Unity Game Engine, where I believe that this game engine is appropriate to be created simulation of Parker Probe Mission. When I started with challenge, I had several scenarios on my mind, but didn't know how to begin. Regarding the fact that I work almost every day on my own projects in Unity (creation of games, educational tools), I realized that can apply some elements, but also and my recent UX/UI elements to my Solar Road application. I needed to decide about content of my UX/UI elements (information part), but there was many useful information about mission (on NASA pages), so it wasn't so big problem. But, core of the application was in some way challenge for me. Of course, I wasn’t capable to implement each element, which was on my mind, but at the end I am satisfied with my product. As I said, for creation of space environment and UX/UI elements, I have used Unity Game Engine, but also I added quality assets from Unity Asset Store. To create planets and Parker Solar Probe, I have used Blender and 3DS Max tools for modeling. Also, I added basics sounds to my application, where I used clips from Freesound website. Finally, I have written code in C# language.


Notice - Please, carefully download project (zipped) file from Google Disk, due the fact that Google can't scan large files for viruses.

Space Agency Data

NASA

Hackathon Journey

It was very nice experience for me to take for the third time my role in NASA Space Apps Challenge. Because of previous experience, I enjoyed in this journey, even more than in previous two attempts. I would like to underline three important elements for this year’s challenge:


-      Really large set of different challenges,

-      Feeling that NASA and partners work on improvement of the Challenge,

-      Flexibility in Challenge (possibility to be created own challenge, work with wide set of technologies, tools, etc.).


On the other hand, this challenge boosted my skills in Unity Game Engine, but also coding skills in C# language. I realized, that I am capable, that in short period of time solve hard tasks in the challenge and provide final output.

References

About Audio Source

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/AudioSource.html


About Mission

https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe


Add Large Files to GitHub

https://git-lfs.github.com/


Add Sound Clip to Script

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/AudioSource-clip.html


Creation of Sun

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


Credits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj6hwCjiVZE


Default Skybox

https://docs.unity3d.com/560/Documentation/Manual/class-Skybox.html


Final Text, Img

https://unsplash.com/photos/oMpAz-DN-9I

Greg Rakozy


Final Text, Part

https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe-humanity-s-first-visit-to-a-star


Follow Path, Asset

https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/utilities/b-zier-path-creator-136082#description?aid=1101l9T6a


GitHub, Upload, Help

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


Glow in Unity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SKHDaSe768


Launch, Img

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/08/

NASA


Launch, Text

https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2018/08/


Main Menu, Background

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/solar-system-science-education_24459849.htm?query=Sun&collectionId=2116&&position=10&from_view=collections

brgfx

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/solar-system-planets-11111/

WikiImages


Observatory, Img

https://unsplash.com/photos/C-NjurcSNQM

David Billings


NASA Space Apps Challenge, Upload Help

Upload Form, NASA Space Apps Challenge


Parker Solar Probe, Img

New Scientist


Rotate Object in Unity

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Transform-rotation.html


Set Animation as Legacy

https://answers.unity.com/questions/577801/animation-must-be-marked-as-legacy.html


Sizes in Unity

https://docs.unity3d.com/2019.3/Documentation/Manual/BestPracticeMakingBelievableVisuals1.html


Solar Parker Probe Mission

http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/parkersolarprobe_presskit_august2018_final.pdf


Solar Road, Icon

https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/sun_2698194

Freepik


Sounds

https://freesound.org/people/Sirkoto51/sounds/402512/

Sirkoto51

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

https://freesound.org/people/zagi2/sounds/496758/

zagi2

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://freesound.org/people/musicboy9000/sounds/238524/

musicboy9000

License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

https://freesound.org/people/kevp888/sounds/622155/

kevp888

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/


Start, Img

https://unsplash.com/photos/JHyiw_dpALk

NASA


Stop Sound Clip

https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/AudioSource.Stop.html


Sun and Parker Probe

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/sunandpspcover_version1_landscape.jpg


Sun and Planets, Sizes

https://ourplnt.com/size-comparison-sun-planets/


Sun, Img

https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-sphere-illustration-39649/

Pixabay


Team Img

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/realistic-space-background-with-all-planets_4331421.htm#page=9&query=sun&position=8&from_view=search

macrovector


Text Mesh Pro in Script

https://forum.unity.com/threads/changing-textmeshpro-text-from-ui-via-script.462250/


Textures, Planets

https://www.solarsystemscope.com/textures/


Timeline Info

http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php


Touch the Sun, Text

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-enters-the-solar-atmosphere-for-the-first-time-bringing-new-discoveries


Unity Concepts

Unity


Unity, Default Field of View

https://forum.unity.com/threads/what-is-a-normal-field-of-view.70202/


Unity, LookAt

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/72838826/how-to-make-my-character-look-in-the-direction-of-the-camera-in-unity-3d

instance


Used Asset

https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/sci-fi/real-stars-skybox-lite-116333


Venus Img

https://unsplash.com/photos/N3BQHYOVq5E

NASA


Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlZOvJuWjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCx3c3B0J3U


Video, After Effects, Anchor

https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/anchor-point-in-after-effects


Video, After Effects, Fit Image to Composition Size

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvX6OwdEPqk


Video, After Effects, Track Matte

https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/how-to-use-track-mattes-after-effects


Video, After Effects, Triangle

https://www.videoschool.com/how-to-create-a-triangle-in-after-effects/


Video, After Effects, Trim Layers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iScBmJ56QE&t=4s


Video, After Effects, Zoom Time Ruler

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


Video, Background Music

https://mixkit.co/free-stock-music/

(Tech House Vibes, Alejandro Magaña)


Video, MOV to MP4

https://handbrake.fr/rotation.php?file=HandBrake-1.5.1-x86_64-Win_GUI.exe

Tags

Challenge, Earth, Mission, Parker, Probe, Solar, Sun, Unity

On the Way to the Sun

On April 28, 2021, during its eighth flyby of the Sun, Parker Solar Probe did what no other human-made object has ever done: it “touched” the Sun—meaning the spacecraft flew through the Sun’s upper atmosphere (the corona) and sampled particles and magnetic fields there. Your challenge is to develop a creative way to tell young audiences the inspiring story of Parker’s record-breaking journey from Earth to the Sun and all the perils it overcame on the way.