Challenges

Challenge: Create an Exoplanet Alien

What would aliens from another planet look like? Hundreds of planets outside our solar system have been detected, and it is expected that billions more exist. Each one of these has its own unique conditions that would shape any life that evolved there. We challenge you to imagine and create an alien life form adapted for an exoplanet! What if gravity was twice as strong? What if their whole planet was water? What if they lived on a gas giant planet, and had to soar through the air their whole lives? You will use a 3D creature app on an iPad to design your own alien, then print it on a 3D printer! There will be other materials on hand for further modifications.
Sponsor: AutoDesk: will supply iPads with http://www.123dapp.com/creature software. (Organizations: MakerKids and the Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, Western University)

Challenge: Create a Planet!

You will be inventing your own planet at this station. First, you will be taught basic image editing techniques using the open source software Gimp. Use your digital creations from other stations, photograph your physical creations, use supplied planetary images and search image sharing web sites for more images! Finally, name your planet, and write a blog post about it to post on a Tumblr page. Print a copy of your planet to take home and another for our display wall of planets. (Organization: Girls Learning Code)

Challenge : Wish You Were Here

Create a postcard from somewhere else in the universe! Perhaps you were visiting your exoplanet penpal alien, or the beaches of your newly created planet....tell home all about it! Dress up as astronaut, an alien or just yourself. Using a green-screen, you will add your picture to a stock planetary background or your very own created at the Create a Planet station! After printing your postcard, you will write a story about your off-world adventures. (Organization: Story Planet)

Challenge: Listening to the Stars

What is the soundtrack of space? Using actual sounds from deep space, from human space exploration, radio astronomy, and more, you will create your own mix! Of course, you'll want to know: can an alien dance to it? Test it out on Oobleck - a writhing mass of gooey tentacles on a speaker. When you're done save your music mix and use it as a ringtone, an alarm sound, or whatever you want! (Organization: MakerKids)

Challenge: CubeSats (Inspired by CubeSats for Asteroid Exploration Challenge)

CubeSats are tiny satellites of just a few inches that can take a variety of instruments to a low-orbit. NASA has commissioned you to design the next generation of CubeSats! It must fit a wide array of instruments in a very small space and still be able to communicate with Earth. To solve this challenge you will use the ancient art of Origami to find ways in which you can store these components inside the CubeSat. (Organization: FabSpaces)

Challenge: Project Awe

Despite its many challenges, the world is a beautiful place that can always leave you in awe and wonder. Thanks to the web, there are endless videos out there that demonstrate just how magnificent life can be. With Popcorn Maker, you can weave together audio, videos, images, and text to share the vast wonder of the universe. Youth will remix this video which combines video from the International Space Station with a song written and recorded by world famous astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield. Then youth will share their “make” with the world via @webmaker and submit it to Webmaker’s Tumblr. What’s out there that takes your breath away? Thanks to the Broadcasting Board of Governors for the inspiration and original video(Organization: Mozilla Webmaker)

Youth Microbloggers!

Youth will participate as station volunteers and as roaming reporters capturing pictures, video, and stories. During the event they will blog and tweet. (Organization: Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada)