Category Archives: Contests and Games

Contests and Games, Space Arts, Space films and videos

Video: CineSpace 2016 – short film competition

I’ve posted a couple of times (see here and here) about the CineSpace short film competition, which is sponsored by NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS). What makes this competition unique is the requirement that the creators use NASA imagery to some degree in the films.

Below is a new video encouraging filmmakers to enter the competition. Submissions can be made between June 1, 2016 12:00 a.m. EST – July 31, 2016 11:59 p.m. EST. “Winners will be announced and screened along with all finalists at Houston Cinema Arts Festival, November 10-17, 2016.”

Contests and Games, Space business, The Moon

Video: Bob Richards and “Moon Express 2017 – A private lunar mission”

In a recent SETI Institute seminar, Bob Richards of Moon Express talked about the company, the Google Lunar XPRIZE, and the business case for commercial activities on the Moon: Moon Express 2017 – A Private Lunar Mission Enabling Science & Commerce – Bob Richards (SETI Talks)

From the caption:

The health of our home planet and the survival of our species will only be secured through the use of space resources and the expansion of Earth’s economic sphere to the Moon and beyond. Creating an off-Earth economy and multi-planet civilization will safeguard the long term prospects of humanity.

Bob Richards is Co-Founder and CEO of Moon Express, Inc. (MoonEx), a privately funded lunar transportation and space resource development company, striving to become the first commercial company to land on the Moon, a challenge only accomplished by 3 superpowers in history. Located at Cape Canaveral, Moon Express has contracted for 3 launches to the Moon with Rocket Lab between 2017 and 2020, is partnered with NASA under its Lunar CATALYST program, and is one of only two teams in the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition with a verified launch contract.

In this talk Bob Richards outlines Moon Express and it plans to develop lunar resources, and how this goal has set in motion technological, political, legal and regulatory precedents that will allow humanity to rationally and peacefully embrace and develop the Moon as the world’s eighth continent.

Activism, Contests and Games, Space films and videos

Videos: CineSpace 2015 winners

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The CineSpace project is a short film competition sponsored by NASA and Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS). The framework for the contest is that the films must inspired by and use actual NASA imagery. The first competition took place in 2015 and you can find the winning films and all the entries at CINESPACE 2015 Winners – Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

Below are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

Here is an article about the competition: Space Never Looked So Good In These NASA Collab Short Films – MTV

Details for entering the 2016 competition can be found on the CineSpace website.

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1st Place
Higher Ground
Mary Magsamen and Stephen Hillerbrand
Houston, TX

2nd Place
Mission Avante
Fernando Dueñas Peña
Bogota Colombia

3rd Place
Le Voyage
Alexandre B. Lampron
Laval, Quebec

Contests and Games, Simulators

‘Planetbase’ – A Mars settlement building game

With the game Planetbase you guide

a group of space settlers trying to establish an outpost on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, manufacture bots, and build a fully self-sufficient colony.

This review is quite positive: Steam’s Latest Hit Is A Tough-As-Nails Mars Base Building Game – io9

The enduring message of Planetbase—at least, after a couple hours—seems to be, “Don’t get cocky.” It’s been immensely satisfying building up my base so far, but I know it can be so much more. Apparently I can go from a handful of people to hundreds, to a base that very literally spans the planet. And yet, rocks fall from the sky as though hurled vengeful space deities saying, “Don’t. You. Dare.” But I will dare, even though Planetbase’s Steam page warns me of sandstorms, intruders, and solar flares, and beta players mention “hundreds of ways to die.”

I’m about to build a landing pad, which will usher in my base’s next era. Fearing certain death, I might have over-prepared for my next handful of colonists, but who knows? The planet is a big place. I haven’t even had to sound an emergency alarm yet. I’m excited to see what awaits.

 

Contests and Games

Xtronaut: the game of solar system exploration

Dante Lauretta  is a professor at the University of Arizona and the Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission to return a sample of an asteroid back to earth. (Hear his recent interview SpaceGeeks Ep. 13: Dante’s Paradiso – SpaceNews.com .) He has developed a space themed board game called Xtronaut: Xtronaut: The game of solar system exploration – DC Newsroom

Rocket Science for Everyone!

Capturing the real-world thrill and challenges of planetary exploration, Xtronaut: The Game of Solar System Exploration gives 2 – 4 players ages 7 and up the chance to develop space missions and explore the solar system. The game is based on real planetary missions and rocket science. It also contains elements of politics and strategy that are inspired by the real-life situations that space missions face.

The crowd-funding campaign for it has exceeded its $15k goal by $6k with two weeks remaining: Xtronaut: The Game of Solar System Exploration by Dante Lauretta – Xtronaut Enterprises — Kickstarter.

And this video tells more about the game play: