Group 5 – Journey into the Astro Missions (J.A.M.)

Team Members

James Wardlaw, Scott Simmons, Jake Pratt, Alexis Sturm, Jake Rosken, Tristan Funicelli, Anissa Mansouri, Mike Carr, Robert Hilton, Eoin Mahood

Abstract

The Astro Restoration Project tasked our team with designing an interactive exhibit to educate museum visitors about the history, operations, and scientific findings of the Astro missions. To accomplish this, the team designed four structures for the exhibit experience that guests will interact with to facilitate their learning about the Astro missions. The experience begins with an informational panel to provide visitors with background knowledge about the Astro missions. They will then walk to one of two control panels, where they will be able to control a model telescope. This experience greatly simplifies the operations of the actual Astro payload but makes the user feel as if they are operating something similar. Users will point the model telescope at a projection screen, which is located across the exhibit. Images of space will be projected, and the model telescope can be aimed at the displayed galaxies. Once ready, the user can simulate taking a picture of that galaxy by pressing a button. The control panel contains four screens to aid in educating the user. The first is a directive screen to help the user aim the model telescope, and the other three show visible, infrared, and UV light coming from the region of space that the user has chosen to take a picture of. The final part of the exhibit is a UV interaction, where guests can see how light exists in many wavelengths through a refraction prism. There will also be objects under a blacklight to allow guests to see how some objects emit light we cannot see regularly. Including the costs for software development, the total cost of materials and manufacturing is just under $10,300. Throughout the entire exhibit, the Journey into the Astro Missions aims to provide a deep educational experience for all types of museum visitors.

Pitch Video

3D Interactive Product Model

The following is an interactive 3D model of the product design. You can view and rotate the product assembly in different orientations and views, including an exploded view to see the various parts that make up the assembly.