SpaceDive

Develop a game that simulates conditions in an off-Earth located permanent or temporary colony. The game could be a sandbox that offers the possibility to simulate various facilities that would support a reduced gravity environment far from earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere. Users could be given power allowances, atmospheric conditions, and in situ resource options (using resources available on site for life support or other needs). The game could include a variety of scenarios including:

• Arranging a GPS-like system on the Moon or Mars to support navigation for the human inhabitants. The simulation could allow the users to explore different solutions such as a constellation of satellites, a network of masts or other Earth based methods at the challenger’s discretion.
• Players could build a habitat that could withstand the Lunar or Martian environment while also taking into consideration that its inhabitants need to have adequate power and supplies, be able to produce food, have locations sleep, live and work.
• Build a Virtual Moon telescope. The simulation could allow the user to conduct a research mission using a telescope on site near their habitat. Explore what instruments make sense for the location of the telescope (and what the user wants to observe). Game players could explore settings such as exposure times or wavelengths to observe. Observations could vary based on the position of the telescope on the Moon or Mars, and the relative position in the sky of the pointed object. After each simulated capture, show an appropriately generated image reflecting the exposure and wavelength settings.

Our main goal is to let users experience a space-like adventure through "Space Dive", a new platform we developed. It combines virtual reality experience and physical feedback while being in a swimming pool.

We designed an equipment which allows gravity variation through controlled buoyancy and interaction with a three-dimensional simulated world, where the player will also be able to move. For this reason the experience offered is unique.

In particular during 30 hours of the "Nasa Space App Challenge" hackathon, our heterogeneous team successfully tested an EVA simulation outside ISS.

Unity3D, Google Cardboard, Android SDK, 3D printer, Autodesk Inventor for students