| Title: | VENUS : inspiring the next generation of space explorers |
| Material Type: | ISU Team Project report |
| Publisher: | Illkirch-Graffenstaden (France) : International Space University, 2023 |
| Format: | 1 electronic resource (xiv, 134 p.) / col. ill. |
| Bibliography note: | Includes bibliographical references |
| Languages: | English |
| Subjects: | Board games ; Communication and culture ; Communication in astronomy ; Communication in science ; Outer space--Exploration ; Venus (Planet) |
| Description: |
Space exploration in popular culture has been heavily biased towards lunar or Mars exploration to reflect the activities of space agencies. Venus, however, has been largely forgotten in the public conversation. With the upcoming fleet of missions to Venus, there is a science communication opportunity for the space sector to reignite interest in Venus, promote its exploration, and share Venus’ exciting history and future. To reinstate the public and institutional focus on Venus, this project proposes to publish a physical board game about Venus exploration, to promote and inspire the public to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and multidisciplinary education among young adults.
Board games are an effective science communication tool for a diverse public audience as they stimulate a variety of learning profiles, and their interactive and variable nature makes them engaging, allowing concepts to be revisited. Commercial space-themed board games have focused on Mars (e.g., Terraforming Mars, Mars Horizon) and while some games are set on Venus (e.g., Onward to Venus, Cities of Venus), these rely more on fiction and prioritize entertainment over education. The proposed game will challenge players to construct space missions to Venus to collect science data and develop technologies while balancing their resources, with the goal of being the first to construct a human settlement on Venus. Science, engineering, and human exploration concepts related to Venus exploration are presented through mission cards, with events that represent technical risks/opportunities. Political and managerial challenges to space exploration are also expressed through event cards which force players to make decisions that affect gameplay. Commercialization of the game is proposed to financially sustain its development, and to maximize its reach globally. Support for this proposal is presented through a business plan, in the context of an entrepreneurial venture. |
| Contents note: | Part I. Introduction 1. Reignition of Venus Part II. Engaging the public towards Venus space exploration 2. The art of science communication 3. From stars to Earth: science communication in the space sector Part III. Cytherean City: welcome to Venus, a Venus board game 4. Cytherean City: the game design 5. Venus settlements: an aspirational goal 6. Missions to explore Venus 7. Building blocks for Venus exploration Part IV. Bringing a board game to life 8. Playing to learn: market for board and educational games 9. From concept to tabletop: marketing & supply chain 10. the financial plan Part V. Overall conclusions & future work |
| ISU program : | Master of Space Studies |
| Format : | Open Access |
| Permalink: | https://isulibrary.isunet.edu/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=11818 |
Read online (2)
 2023_Venus Executive summary (20.7MB) Adobe Acrobat PDF | 2023_Venus_Full report (11.1MB) Adobe Acrobat PDF |
