NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The view outside the space station includes the docked shuttle and Earth below. Image Credit: NASA IT

Imagine the thrill of floating out of the International Space Station and into the emptiness of space. Picture the amazing view of peering past the airlock to see the docked space shuttle and, beyond that, the blues and greens of Earth. What would it be like to move along the metal structure of the space station, on the way to work on the orbiting science laboratory?

Only a select handful of people will ever experience those things and see those sights. But NASA's new Station Spacewalk Game offers the next best thing. In this online video game, players take on the role of spacewalking astronauts. They are tasked with working to continue assembly of the International Space Station. The game is based on real work NASA astronauts performed on shuttle missions.

The highlight of the game is its detailed virtual mock-up of the International Space Station. The game uses a three-dimensional graphic model NASA's space station program uses. The result is a very realistic representation of what it is like to move around outside the station. "This game enables students to share the thrill of spacewalking from the comfort of their computer," said Carla Rosenberg, the project manager for the game.

Scott Parazynski repairs a tear in a solar array in one of the spacewalks on which the game is based. Image Credit: NASA

In the game, players perform four tasks. One is to install the S6 truss segment. The truss is the long "backbone" of the station that supports the solar arrays. The S6 segment was launched on the STS-119 space shuttle mission. During that mission, robotic arms were used to move the segment into place. Astronauts then went on a spacewalk to connect it to the space station. This task in the game is based on the work of the STS-119 astronauts.

Another task is to unfurl, or open, the S6 solar arrays. The arrays are attached to the S6 truss segment. They provide power for the International Space Station. When the truss segment was launched, the arrays were folded up like a road map. Once the segment was attached to the station, the solar arrays were unfolded. This task also is based on the STS-119 space shuttle mission.

Another task in the game is to use a robotic arm to repair a tear in a solar array. This part of the game is based on the STS-120 space shuttle mission. The final task is to retrieve tools that are floating in space after a spacewalk. Both of these tasks attempt to capture what it would be like to actually perform these jobs in space.

Guides help players navigate along the space station and complete the assigned tasks. Image Credit: NASA IT

The Station Spacewalk Game provides an exciting glimpse at what the spacewalking experience is really like and supports NASA's goal of engaging Americans in its missions. For those that would like to take the experience further, NASA offers a free download of the three-dimensional models and graphics like those used in the game.


On the Web:
>  Station Spacewalk Game
>  3D Resources   →
>  NASA Education
>  International Space Station
>  STS-119
>  STS-120


David Hitt/NASA Educational Technology Services