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Awarded 3rd place in the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2023 (Miami) by conceptualizing an interplanetary travel booking app for a future space-faring society.
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For the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge, I teamed up with two software engineers to create Orrery, a concept app that earned 3rd place in Miami. Designed as a futuristic space tourism planner, it helps users explore planets, build custom itineraries, and learn about NASA missions through an educational role-playing experience.
Design a tool that acts as a futuristic space tourism planner, allowing users to build customized itineraries to destinations like Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn. The tool should also educate present-day users about planets and NASA missions through a fun, role-playing experience. Using NASA data and visuals, the experience should spark curiosity about space exploration while guiding users through site highlights, travel logistics, and interactive learning moments.
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The experience imagines future travel scenarios that include a speed-of-light option, as well as destination-based experiences, such as a guided driving tour on Mars using rover technology. The visual direction for this project combines theoretical technologies, including helical engine concepts related to near–speed-of-light travel with real, existing space exploration technologies, such as the Mars rover.
By pairing speculative physics with proven engineering, the concept explores what interplanetary travel could look like if future breakthroughs were built on today’s technological foundations. This approach allowed the visuals and product concept to feel imaginative while remaining grounded in reality.
To further enhance the experience, AI tools like MidJourney were used to generate realistic travel accommodations, from space hotels to planetary base camps. These assets helped communicate what interplanetary travel could look like for users, bridging speculative science with visually plausible environment.
The Orrery logo was inspired by a traditional orrery: a mechanical model of the solar system used to illustrate the relative positions and movement of celestial bodies. The logo was intentionally designed to feel mechanical and structured, reflecting interconnected systems, motion, and precision.
Designing the logo to resemble an actual orrery was one of the most meaningful parts of this project for me, as it visually connects the name, concept, and purpose into a single cohesive identity.
The Orrery project received 3rd place in the competition, recognizing the strength of its concept, visual design, and integration of speculative and real-world technologies. This achievement reflects both the research-backed approach and the creative execution of the app’s interplanetary travel experience.
If you’re interested in learning more about the technical implementation or want to connect with the developers who helped bring Orrery to life, feel free to reach out to my team!
Fancy seeing you all the way down here! I'd like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to look at my work. Feel free to connect with me via Linkedin or email with any questions, suggestion, or comments.
