CatanSpace

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MnYtT3VLE4j-ccK7TlQdQSGY6csLamtiA257SIWIOpc/edit#slide=id.g140a035409f_0_18

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MnYtT3VLE4j-ccK7TlQdQSGY6csLamtiA257SIWIOpc/edit#slide=id.g140a035409f_0_18

Our goal is to make science available for everyone. Science is not meant to be confined within the boundaries of a lab or a classroom; it is supposed to be fostered among everyone. For that reason, we designed an innovative board game “CatanSpace” which combines entertainment with STEM. 

Curiosity needs to be fed from a young age, and we believe that it is vital to involve the researchers, explorers, and world changers of the future with science as soon as possible. We have decided to partner with the government to create and distribute the game CatanSpace in elementary schools around the country; all fees are covered by public funding, imposing no restrictions whatsoever on any child, regardless of their economic background. In addition, we are working on launching a commercial line for those interested in having it at home. Since our focus is on expanding the horizons of the scientific domain, the profits earned are intended to be used for techno and biological research. 

Moreover, we believe that in a divided world like ours, promoting partnership and teamwork is key. Thankfully, it has been proven that such soft skills can be easily learnt through games, especially if they are taught in childhood. CatanSpace is conducted towards accomplishing all those aims at once.

Furthermore, in order to validate the knowledge acquired through the game, the box in which it is packed contains a QR code on the reversal of the cover, which directs users to a Kahoot quiz. The series of multiple choice questions go over the information that has been disseminated. Therefore, not only do children have a wonderful time playing it, but also get to learn the importance and imminence of space travel, biogenesis, and cellular mutation. Testing their understanding of the topic afterwards is a great way of making sure that the subjects touched were properly comprehended.

C A T A N S P A C E

GAME RULES

The CatanSpace board game is designed for two to four players who compete against one another to fulfill a NASA mission to go to an outer space planet as a superhuman. The players are on Planet Earth with two main objectives, one of which is secret to the other competitors. The first mission is to establish extraction plants to collect the resources they need in order to build a superhuman, and last but not least, collect the organisms required to build the superhuman .

There are five assets on the planet:Tardigrade, Bacteria, Fungi, Algaes, and Scientific Development Station. 

Depending on the card each player is handed at the beginning of the game, they will have to recollect different resources to build their Space Biology Superhero. The players will build a certain superhero with the intention of traveling to another planet and resisting the arduous conditions they will face there. Every superhuman will acquire strengths from the organisms with which they will be genetically modified. 

Game components 

• 19 resource hexes (tiles) 
• 6 outer Space pieces 
• 9 spaceport pieces 
• 18 circular number tokens 
• 95 resource cards (bearing the symbols for the Tardigrade, Bacteria, Fungi, Algaes, and Scientific Development Station)
• 16 stations (4 of each color, shaped like little houses) 
• 60 roads (15 of each color, shaped like bars)
• 2 dice

Constructing the world

The frame pieces hold the board together and prevent the pieces from moving after the board is in place. Before building the earth, assemble the frame by matching the numbers at the ends of the frame pieces together (i.e., 1-1, 2-2, etc.).

General overview 

CatanSpace has three main gameplay components: acquiring, trading, and using those resources to expand influence on earth, as well as fulfill the NASA mission. You’ll play through your entire turn before the player on your left starts the whole process over again. First, you’ll need to collect resources. This is done by simply rolling two dice. See if any player has a settlement adjacent to a tile marked with a numbered circle token that matches the total dice roll. If they do, they receive one resource card that corresponds to the hexagons’s asset type.

Second, you get to trade those resources with others. Talk with your fellow players to see if anyone is willing to make a deal. Even if no-one at the table fancies your goods, you can always trade four of any one resource for a single card of another, taking the resource straight from its pile on the table-A.K.A the Bank-.

Finally, you get to build. By paying the required resources listed on your construction costs reference card, you can plonk down new settlements on the board. Once you have fulfilled the goal of setting up 3 exploration bases, you can move on to your secret objective. The one who does it all first wins. 

The resources available on Earth: 

• Tardigrades: resists high levels of radiation.  

• Bacteria (Shewanella, Colwellia): resists high pressures. 

• Fungi (Ryomyces antarcticus): resists low temperatures. 

• Algae(Chlamydomonas reinhardtii): produces O2. 

• Scientists: help you build your superhuman. 

Examples of missions

Characteristics of Mars 

Temperature: From -133°C to 27°C: on average -55°C.

Pressure:0.0060 atm

Radiation: The average natural radiation level on Mars is 24-30 rads or 240-300 mSv per year. This is about 40-50 times the average on Earth.

Atmospheric composition: 95% by volume of carbon dioxide (CO2), 2.6% molecular nitrogen (N2), 1.9% argon (Ar), 0.16% molecular oxygen (O2), and 0.06% carbon monoxide (CO).

Venus Characteristics 

Atmospheric composition: Carbon dioxide (CO2, 96,5 %) and nitrogen (N2, less than 3,5%) already represent more than 99,9% of the composition.

Scientists also discovered minor molecular constituents such as H2, O2, Kr, H2O, H2S and COS in Venus' atmosphere.

Europa Characteristics (datos de profundidad)

Temperature: (hasta más de 100° C) fumarolas del fondo oceánico 

Pressure: 1,0×10^-12

Radiation: unknow in depth.

Atmospheric composition: it barely has any atmosphere, and the little it has is made out of oxygen. 

The superhumans

The game has several secret cards with secret missions, in other words, there are many different superhumans that can be created such as Mars, Venus or Europa Superhuman. These are built according to the characteristics of the celestial body in question

Scalability

The game can be expanded so that new players are included, and more resources are added to the table. A larger board can be assembled by adding outer space tiles around the Earth, thus allowing the players to put more hexagons, in other words, to incorporate more resources. 

https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/5-hazards-of-human-spaceflight

https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/Risks/risk.aspx?i=173

https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical/programs/space-biology/plant-biology

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/167642/

https://www.academia.edu/10532483/BIOKIS_A_Model_Payload_for_Multidisciplinary_Experiments_in_Microgravity

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-1097.1990.tb01803.x?casa_token=MuPTMcY7wGAAAAAA:88TuSD7m-UTsBzopTYbC9Nels2WdmhQPY3wiFr40t5DfwSHLYowVKBTfyE7f2Od-dA6Z45kdUyBbmKQJVQ

This was our first Hackaton experience and we have learnt a huge number of things, ranging from the impact of spacetravel on certain microorganisms, to tardigrades and their great resistance to radiation.

https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.10.5343

DOI 10.1007/s12217-012-9309-6

https://openai.com/dall-e-2/

https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/579/57937307.pdf

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