OUR APP...

Using imagination to create a planet came first, but how could we make an impact? We wanted to give an inspiring answer and at the same time socialize the data provided by NASA. This is how PLANET DIBUTINO was born. Our application is an interactive game that appeals to users of all ages, from school-age children to adults (though only adults who still carry a little dreamer inside, so, let's just say it's intended for children.)

The application tells a story themed to "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and anticipates the moral of its ending. "Please... paint a planet for me!", asks the Little Prince. Because he neglected his Asteroid, he now needs a new planet to live on. That's when planet Dibutino appears, a terrestrial planet in the system 181222, orbiting a G2V star. But what's this planet really about? Dibutino is still in its creation process and we can adapt it to make it habitable for the Little Prince and his Rose. What you have to do is to dream up a new planet for him.

Through the interactivity of the application, we help children understand how different variables (such as gravity, distance from their parent star, and orbital radius) influence life on a planet. It was hard for us to generate these variables, as we had to analyze multiple documents of data provided by NASA, and then sum up the information. Our team worked to figure out how to communicate the information clearly in Spanish and English, which required some help of the translator DeepL and the Cambridge Dictionary. The drawings were thought up and made in Photoshop as the idea emerged, and then transformed into videos using CANVA. Because it was crucial to find a way to explain our application through a video with visual support such as illustrations, we used CapCut. In addition, the entertaining dynamics built with JavaScript, HTML and CSS using VisualStudioCode required members of our team to connect with each other through Git and find out how to use Bootstrap.

The game involves users playing around with each variable to create their planet. Users assign a value to each variable. For the variable "gravity" they can choose between the values "high", "medium" or "low"; for the variable "distance to star" they have the values "large", "medium" or "small" and, finally, for the variable " orbit eccentricity" they can choose between "circular", "intermediate" or "elliptical". Depending on the values thaye assign to each one, the result will be either a habitable planet or a "try again." Of course, we have generated a general report that will provide the user who failed the challenge with possible reasons why their planet may not have been habitable and the opportunity to try again. Whereas, if the user passes the challenge we will provide an extensive report explaining why the planet is habitable, accompanied by gratitude from the Little Prince. Both reports are based on astrobiological concepts provided by NASA with words that are understandable for all audiences.

Planet Dibutino is a game that through its story, its musical journey with Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin and its original handmade drawings, makes the user work with science while using their ability to imagine and dream. The game does not end when we manage to create the habitable planet. Despite achieving it, the game ends up with a moral given by the Little Prince - there may be infinite galaxies, millions of planets, thousands habitable, but there is none like ours. We must commit to taking care of it - this is the idea we want to remain in the mind of every user who uses our app, even after closing the game.

2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge

Grupo Andino