Background:

As generation Z, we have noticed a severe diminish in our sense of wonder for space. What is out there? What opportunities exist for us? Can we go even further? Is there someone waiting for us? These are all questions our generation no longer seek to ask. They no longer serve to capture our imagination as they once had for an entire generation. We never got a moon landing, nor did we launch Voyager I. We didn’t have our own Hubble, and no one can invoke a spirit of discovery like Carl Sagan. However, as a group of College freshman from 8 different countries, and quite literally all over the world, we refuse to let this go on any further. We seek to lead humanity, from every corner of the world, not just to the moon, not just to Mars, but to the outermost edges of our home, the Solar System. This is why we decided to create Utopic, a Trans-Neptunian Space Travel company, aiming to bring our galactic to the comfort of your home. We were inspired to take up this challenge because we see the potential for VR and AR technology to be more than just shock value or a gimmick. Video captured from travelers in distant spatial bodies can be simulated back home, offering a unique and affordable experience for everyone. As much as we offer the means for safe and sustainable travel to such regions, we also ensure that space travel is no longer for the select few. With Utopic, we can bring space exploration and curiosity to everyone, as well as the world closer together.

Our Solution:

Through a shared experience using mixed-reality lenses, we connect tourist exploration with research while accomplishing everyone’s dream to experience outer space, even for those that don’t have the financial, physiological, or psychological means. The first half of our efforts comprises of crowdsourced data gathering from video analysis of our tourists’ experiences. Scientists and researchers can now fill in data gaps of these spatial bodies at a much faster rate. Our second effort is simultaneously recreating real tourist experiences in virtual reality for people back home. This way, the consumer audience of space tourism, for the first time, is no longer the most elite, but it grows instead to the benefit of all mankind.

VIew our Website: https://tambourine-sturgeon-2997.squarespace.com

Use the password "heptapod" to access the website.

Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LvFW7iEZsVI4iDQpT...

How it Works:

The SpaceLens will be used essentially by people on trips in outer space. They collect any data observed by the traveler and send it to two different destinations: (1) Researchers. NASA and any other organization interested in information about the Universe can utilize video recorded by the SpaceLens for research purposes. We use data from NASA to identify any knowledge gaps and incentivize the tourists to explore specific locations or events. Meteor rains, new biomes, physiological characteristics of planet surfaces, etc. All this information will be crowdsourced to an enormous database that can be accessed by anyone. (2) Earth-based tourists. For those that cannot leave their home planet for any reason, our footage will provide an exciting way to experience the unlimited possibilities of our Solar System using state of the art VR technology.

Challenges:

The main purpose of our team was to democratize space travel, to make sure that anyone, independent of nationality, financial situation or competence has the same opportunity to have a part in making history. This was not an easy task, and our solution needed to be something that personally excited us to actually use. At the same time, our mutual admiration for science obligated us to create something that would expand the boundaries of knowledge that would improve humankind and society as a whole.

Failures:

For mysterious reasons the hololens kept disconnecting from the computer. It was like “ WAAAaaait NooOo”. Then we wrapped them with tape.

Afterwards, they didn’t work out in bright settings. It was freaking heavy. The word "freaking" is very important here.

Also, we thought it was a great idea to conduct a group research session by viewing "Wall-e" together. But we ended just watching the movie, forgetting our task and just cracking up at Wall-E’s dumb moves on Eve.

Success:

We strongly believe that just finishing this task was a huge success for us. For most of us, this is our first Hackathon, not to mention English is the native language for only 1 out of eleven students. However, our greatest success was integrating each of our unique and specific skillsets into the task. Everyone had a role, and everyone worked together. Above competing in a Hackathon, we were a team first, and we had fun. That was our greatest success.

Try It Out:

Rough Draft Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIJqJEjSDf4&feature=youtu.be

APK link android app: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15wxiRYjZgupAnpbcvrOB4QQPNpzdbaMR/view?usp=sharing

We used Android Studio to create a prototype of the app and then we used Java to beautify the app to create a user-friendly experience. We then used Unity game engine to create a Hololens app that was designed to make interactive holograms. Finally, we used a 3D viewer app to display our 3D rendered images. The Hololens app is still in development, and we plan to polish it up even more in the future.

Future Plans:

To improve our AR technology in the future, we will begin test runs with small samples(to the moon etc.) to test the viability and safety of the journey.. We will also integrate AI and ML into the AR experience, to allow for more efficiency in identifying and closing data gaps, as well as providing a more educational experience once information is aggregated (recognition of celestial objects etc.). Making an app that is compatible with all platforms, and a website that can be accessed through low-bandwidth connections, is an avenue that will help us broaden our target audience.

In terms of marketing, we can create promotional materials featuring celebrities traveling using AR, design courses to train people to become astronauts, pitch the idea to companies such as Positron Dynamics to help realize the positron propulsion engine technology, and set up exhibits for advertising to the lower-income population. We will also start auctioning tickets in advance for the 2045 trip, to create suspense and raise funds. Creating a kickstarter/gofundme page can also help us raise funds to further this project, and developing flyers and advertisement banners will help us spread awareness.

On top of this, We will seek to collaborate with sponsors in the satellite industry such as NASA and SpaceX. We will also seek support from the government to raise awareness to the public about exploring the universe. We will need to find building and hospitality partners for the services that will be available in the spaceship.

NASA Resources:

1. NASA data and resources we used:

We used NASA resources as the main references for our research. And we also referred to NASA’s open-source database for a detailed and scientific perspective (a full list of all the resources used is attached below).

1. Importance of NASA resources to our project:

As the most prestigious space exploration agency in the world, NASA leads the human progress and every discovery in space science. NASA’s New Horizon is the first spacecraft that explored Pluto and its moons, which is directly related to our project. In early 2019, NASA also led the breakthrough a step ahead of other agencies in the research of the most distant Kuiper Belt Object. Those professional, accurate, and first-handed data proved huge importance in our Trans-Neptunian space travel design.

1. Usage of the resources in our project:

For our project, these data enable us to grasp a deeper understanding and build our foundational scientific knowledge of these dwarf planets. When we broke down the project into different aspects, we search for NASA’s resources that are most reliable to put forward detailed plans.

To be specific, we came up with a possible transportation method and activities people could do on the planets based on these data and resources. These data offered a practical view and triggered our design. For example, we designed the tour content based on the orbit length and geographical characteristics of Pluto and Charon, incorporating numbers into marketing strategies.

Reference List

Images

• Images from the New Horizon from NASA open data portal

References

• For Positron Propulsion

Resource: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2018_Phase_I_Phase_II/Radioisotope_Positron_Propulsion/

Resource:

http://www.positrondynamics.com/#titles-1

• For the fact that big planet x does not exist

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/telescope.html

Resource: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/main/index.html

• For the Kuiper Belt

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/in-depth/

Resource: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/overview/

Resource: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/792/10-things-to-know-about-the-kuiper-belt/

Resource :

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/2014-mu69/overview/

Resource :

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/945/nasas-new-horizons-team-publishes-first-kuiper-belt-flyby-science-results/

Resource :

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/kuiper-belt/en/

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/subject/3151/kuiper-belt/

• For knowing the boundaries of the Solar system

Resource: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12639

• For Ultima Thule

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ultima-thule-in-3d

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-team-publishes-first-kuiper-belt-flyby-science-results

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-evocative-farewell-glance-at-ultima-thule

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-media-activities-for-new-horizons-new-year-s-kuiper-belt-flyby

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-team-successfully-observes-next-target-sets-the-stage-for-ultima-thule-flyby

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-chooses-nickname-for-ultimate-flyby-target

• For Eris

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/eris/in-depth/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2390/eris-3d-model/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/eris/by-the-numbers/

• For Makemake

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/makemake/in-depth/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/makemake/by-the-numbers/

Resource :

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2374/makemake-3d-model/

• For Haumea

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/haumea/in-depth/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/haumea/by-the-numbers/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2384/haumea-3d-model/

Resource : https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb_query.cgiFor Pluto

Resource for 3D and other hotspots, photos of Pluto(Most of the resources available here) : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/pluto/overview/

Resource of Pluto for kids(pluto explanation): https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/ice-dwarf/en/

Resource of Photos specifically by New-Horizons space: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Galleries/Featured-Images/view.php?gallery_id=2&page=1&bytopic=42

Resource video of landing on Pluto: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/multimedia-db/NH_MOV_CEN6A_lres.mp4

For transportation methods :

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2018_Phase_I_Phase_II/Radioisotope_Positron_Propulsion/

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/elana-19-ceres

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/elana-19-shields-1

Resource : https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/index.php?search=International+Space+Station+%28ISS%29

Resource BLSS: https://www.nasa.gov/content/life-support-systems

Resource BLSS2 : https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20180001979.pdf

Datasets for Pluto : Fact sheet of planets from NASA https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?constants

• For Comets

Resources: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike

Resources for searching:

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb_query.cgi

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?targets

• For Oort Cloud

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/overview/

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/755/the-usual-suspects-a-rogues-gallery-of-asteroids-comets-and-other-witnesses-to-history/

Resource :

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/oort-cloud/

Resource for long-term comets :

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/in-depth/

• For inspirations

Resource : https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7327

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/explore-robotics-walle.html

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/elana-19-ceres

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/elana-19-shields-1

Resource : https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92630/living-the-mars-life-on-mauna-loa

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/search_life_I.html

https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/22159/insights-first-image-from-mars/?site=insight

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/nasa_csli_cubesat_101_508.pdf

Resource : https://explorer1.jpl.nasa.gov

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-tests-tiny-satellites-to-track-global-storms

Resource :

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/tiny-satellites-first-global-map-of-ice-clouds

Resrource : https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-sends-cubesats-to-space-on-first-dedicated-launch-with-us-partner-rocket-lab

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/elana-19-cubesail

Resource : https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/834/10-things-cubesats-going-farther/