Orbital Scrap Metal – The Video Game V2.0
Orbital Debris Collection [ORDECO]
Summary
Our project is a game based on orbital debris collection, that aims to educate the player on the detrimental effects of orbital waste/debris in a fun and immersive manner. By showing the user a visual on just how much debris exists around our planet and providing verified information on the same as the user plays the game, we attempt to get the user well versed with the orbital debris issue that has arisen as a by product of space exploration programs around the world.
How We Addressed This Challenge
Our project attempts to address this challenge by introducing the end user to the detrimental impacts that orbital debris causes to the space around Earth. On first look, the effect that orbital debris has may seem irrelevant or ignorable to most people. The problem is very substantial presently, as if overlooked, the amount of orbital debris will continue to increase hampering the space missions of all the countries on Earth.
In a bid to convince the end user that this is a misguided view, we aim to slowly show the user just how big of a problem orbital debris is by using the TLE dataset to show real world orbital debris to the user. We then ask the user to collect these debris by using gamification to make the entire experience fun. While the user is immersed in the game, we highlight important facts and trivia on the effects of orbital debris on our planet.
We hope that along with having fun playing the game, the user realises the seriousness of the problem and is motivated to take proactive steps in order to help contribute to resolving the problem.
How We Developed This Project
Our team was extremely inspired by the uniqueness of this problem, and hence decided to choose this challenge. While approaching the challenge, we realised that the problem might seem highly irrelevant to the common Joe and hence would have to come up with an innovative solution to allow the user to realise the importance of the problem.
As a result, we decided to create an immersive and engaging game that would captivate the user, while allowing us enough time to demonstrate the significance of the problem with the help of visualisations and trivia.
We used the open source GoDot Game Engine to create the game, using GDScript to code up the various aspects of the game. Data from the TLE dataset was also used to try and accurately simulate the movement of the orbital debris around Earth.
We faced issues in trying to accurately simulate the motion of the debris around the planet in an elliptical orbit. We were able to resolve this issue by taking expert opinion on the maths involved behind the motion of the debris.
Achievements
Our team was able to make a fully functional game that is capable of engaging the user while also providing knowledge on the problems that arise due to orbital debris. We also managed to understand and utilise the TLE dataset to simulate the orbital motion of the debris. The majority of the team was also able to use this opportunity to learn to develop games for various devices and the web using the GoDot Game Engine.
How We Used Space Agency Data in This Project
We used TLE data collected by using the API provided by https://www.space-track.org to set up the positions of the debris and dictate their Keplerian orbit in space. TLE data has been the core of the entire level setup mechanics, and it has motivated most of our decisions in a particular way. We were very conscious of making our games as scientifically accurate as possible while still being fun to play.
The game was made as scientifically accurate as possible by using a Python script to fetch and preprocess the data, and then pass it on to the GDScript to simulate the orbital path and motion of the orbital debris.
We also used public educational data provided by NASA and other Space Agencies, to show the facts and other information to the end user in the game.
Project Demo
Video:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jL6BCPmXHbq2H_B_fx85Iu_aljk2d5iK?usp=sharing
PPT:
https://iiitaphyd-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/bhavyajeet_singh_research_iiit_ac_in/EaF8yJ98aZFCn9IOPQmX2PUBYwSwAP1FxGwnCaIIBxU1UA?e=vXrCAn
Project Code
Data & Resources
[1] Two Line Element Set