Created by Finnish start-up Space Nation, the Space Nation Navigator is a new app for Android devices that features a range of fitness regimes, quizzes and a narrative adventure element. These features may sound fairly unimpressive on their own, but the app includes them all as a means to train future astronauts for space travel. As trainees progress through the Space Nation Navigator, they will be faced with increasingly difficult levels, with the potential of winning prizes set at various milestones.
After 12-week cycles, around 100 trainees using the app will be selected to participate in a real-life astronaut training camp. Of this 100, a dozen will be selected to participate in an intense 10-week training camp in Iceland, which will be filmed and broadcast. The final person standing will be the eventual winner and will receive an expense-paid trip to space. While Space Nation does not run any rockets or spaceships, the start-up will be working with a number of space companies to send the candidate into the stars.
What's Driving This Trend
- Space Training Apps
- Creating mobile apps specifically designed for space training and education.
- Gamified Astronaut Training
- Using gamification elements such as fitness regimes, quizzes, and narrative adventures to train future astronauts.
- Prize-based Motivation
- Motivating trainees with the potential to win prizes and a chance to participate in real-life astronaut training camps.
Who This Affects Most
- Education Technology
- Developing innovative educational tools and platforms for space exploration and training.
- Mobile App Development
- Creating mobile applications tailored for space training and education purposes.
- Space Tourism
- Collaborating with space companies to offer prize trips to space as a marketing and promotional strategy.
