Challenger Center Prepares To Participate In Agency's Online Game Project

NASA recently released "Moonbase Alpha", the first game in NASA's Learning Technologies project. It's a glimpse of what will eventually become a NASA-based Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) project.

Moonbase Alpha Screen Shot

Earlier this year, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education was awarded a cooperative agreement with NASA for work related to NASA's MMOG activities. This award was made by NASA's Learning Technologies Project Office under the Cooperative Agreement Notices for NASA's STEM program. The Challenger Center team includes co-investigators WisdomTools, a member of the Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond (AMMB) consortium of game developers, and Benedict College and South Carolina State University (both historically black institutions), Florida State University's Learning Systems Institute, and four Challenger Learning Centers.

Moonbase Alpha has single and multiplayer options that allow players to assume the role of an exploration team member in a lunar settlement. According to NASA Moonbase Alpha is proof of a  concept that shows how NASA content can be combined with a cutting-edge game engine to inspire, engage and educate students about agency technologies, job opportunities and the future of space exploration. As such, Moonbase Alpha is rated "E" for everyone.

As NASA's MMOG project develops, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education will participate by providing educational advice and conducting evaluations of the program's utility and functionality.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/moonbasealpha