What MARSasAPP is

MARSasAPP is a preliminary design of an interactive application that provides the user a series of functions that aim to reduce the feeling of isolation characterizing a typical experience of martian exploration, as well as any other extraterrestrial mission, obviously taking into account all the limitations in the communication procedure of the specific case.

What is important

It is well known that space explorers, in addition to be subject to an exhausting physical effort to adapt to a new environment, also suffer from psychological stress due to the remoteness of home and the lack of their loved ones and often, when the communications between these are possible, they are short and aseptic. This is also due to the fact that Earth-Mars communications cannot take place by the usual terrestrial means, due to:

• interposition of celestial bodies;
• communication delays;
• limitation in the bandwidth.

Our proposal is intended to make who is millions of km away feel less alone through a more home-like, interactive, multi-functional communication interface which allows you to feel almost like home.

What it does

MARSasAPP is an interactive communication application with several functions:

HOME

It is the main section that allows you to access the following features:

• MARSify: a public platform where astronauts and/or Earth stations share messages, audio or video organized by sections. In one of these sections, the astronauts report, as in a logbook, their activities, considerations, thoughts to allow those on Earth to better follow what happens on the Red planet.
• Where are you?: an interactive map which takes advantage of a link to Mars Trek application (provided by the Jet Propulsion NASA Laboratory) and allows astronauts to upload news and content about the exploratory activities just carried out. In this way the cooperation between astronauts is more intuitive, faster and easier. Users can know the status of the activities carried out, appropriately marked on the map by astronauts through "flags", entering the map and interacting with these markers.
• MARTY: a virtual assistant that supports you in times of need. It has access to a local web-server in which there are permanent and downloadable content. Moreover, a quick search bar is available, connected to a local web-server, in which each astronaut can insert keywords related to a topic on which he wants more information (obviously already present in the server). Some wizard buttons are available too: "HEALTH", "FACILITIES". These wizards allow the astronauts to access information without the help of the local web-server, as it is already contained in the storage of the device so that it is available at any time. The "ADD MORE CONTENT" procedure, on the other hand, allows you to choose and queue additional content and information to be downloaded into the local web-server by requesting them from the Earth stations.
• MARS's up: provides a private messaging environment that allows astronauts to both communicate with each other and with their loved ones.

My profile

This section offers a summary of various information related to the specific astronaut, including the activities of competence and the progress of the same. In it, the daily exercise routine and the statement of personal content downloaded are available.

Health status

This section offers various information about the health of the astronaut: diary of the health of the astronaut, schedule of medical and psychological tests to be submitted.