Try It At Home: Build-It-Yourself: Satellite!
- By Maggie Masetti
- April 2, 2012
- Comments Off on Try It At Home: Build-It-Yourself: Satellite!
We’re offering you, our Blueshift readers, the exclusive chance to try out a new game, where you get to be the scientist!
The game allows you to build your own satellite. First choose what science your satellite will be used to study, and then decide what wavelengths, instruments and mirrors will help you learn the most about the science topic you’ve chosen. After you launch your satellite, you’ll see what it looks like, and learn what real mission has data similar to the one you created. You’ll discover a large range of astronomical missions, dating from the 1980s to today. The “today” part is where the James Webb Space Telescope comes in – it’s being built right now, with some pretty cutting edge technology (like its 18-segment mirror). You might be able to build a similar satellite if you choose the right options!
Since this game is brand-new, we’d love your feedback on it (via our blog, Facebook, or twitter) about what worked and what confused you. We hope you will enjoy trying it out! (Requires Flash 9 or higher.)
Here’s a screenshot:
