Scouts BSA VR Astronauts on the ISS

Goal: Navigate the International Space Station to the Airlock and Cupola. 

•Working together, get to the Cupola. One person reads the map, the other person moves through the VR model. Once a Player has made it to their destination, they switch, and one person reads the Map, and the other person uses the VR headset to navigate to the Cupola.  •

•Background: Scouts will learn about the difficulties Astronauts have with navigating the International Space Station. Astronauts experience disorientation and vertigo in the ISS because there is no up and down. There is no true North either, so they must use Forward, Aft, Port, and Starboard.  

Question: How do you navigate with no reference to up or down, left or right, or true North?

1).Have Scouts scan barcode to bring up VR application. 

2.If the scout does not have a phone, Have STEM person at Table use their phone. Have everyone work in pairs. Groups of three are also fine for odd numbers.

3) Explain to them the challenge of navigating where there is no true North

•Show them

Forward, toward front of Spacecraft

Aft, toward Back of Spacecraft

Port, the Spacecrafts left ( Remember Port and Left have the same amount of letters)

Starboard, the Ship’s right 

•Show them the Map of the International Space Station. Show them all the parts

Columbus

Kibo –(JPL)

Harmony

Destiny

Unity

Tranquility

Cupola

Quest

Air Lock

4) Set your phone to use Google Cardboard. Scan QR Code below to see how to set up phone on Google Cardboard

Give one person the VR Goggles, (Google Cardboard.). Show them how to move in the VR environment by putting the dot on the target by moving everyone into the Columbia module.

5) Moving to the next component – •Show them how to move in the VR environment by putting the dot on the target by moving everyone into the Columbia module.

To move to next component, move your head to put small dot on Black Circle Target.

6) Once everyone is trained and has had a chance to move once in the Virtual Reality,

Give one person the VR Goggles, the other person the map.

If the person who has the map can bring up the ISS VR image on his phone without google cardboard and would like to use that too to see what the person with VR Goggles is looking at, that is fine too. 

7) Game

1.The person with the map guides the person with the VR Goggles from the Columbia Module to the Cupola Module.

2.When the person with the VR Goggles gets to the Cupola, show the STEM Person working the STEM table to verify they are at the Cupola. 

3.Have the Scouts discuss how to get around the inside of the ISS easier. 1.Look for ways NASA informs the astronauts what are the next components

Switch User

1.Have the Scouts switch their jobs. The new person with the map guides the person with the VR Goggles from the Cupola to the Air Lock with the same techniques as above.

2.Once the Scout is at the Air Lock, they are done.

3.If there is a third Person, have them use the VG Goggles to get to the Kibo Module. Discuss if they have an idea to make the getting around the inside of the ISS easier. Decide which other Scout will guide the Scouts with the VR Goggles.

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