The Space Shuttle Atlantis Attraction at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida brings to life the legacy of the 30-year shuttle program and the related International Space Station program. To celebrate NASA's storied history and sparks the imaginations of the next generation of astronauts, we created 11 interactive programs for the award-winning permanent exhibit, including large-scale multitouch table and wall, gesture simulations, mechanical interactives, and augmented reality viewers.
Our design thinking started from the kickoff field trip to the Kennedy Space Center. In charge of the design for all interactives, I created a systematic scheme for all simulators and worked with 3D artists and developers to provide art direction. I dived into content research for the two large scale multitouch programs, The Space Transportation System table, and International Space Station media wall, architected the information structure, and designed the navigation through a mass of NASA history. Never quite a space nerd, it was a surprise to find myself engrossed reading all about the missions.
The Space Transportation System interactive is a 6-monitor multitouch table dedicated to the history and accomplishments of NASA's 30-year shuttle program. With a fully searchable timeline, visitors can simultaneously explore stories about each mission, astronaut, and nail biters that kept the mission control at the edge of their seats.
Atlantis simulation programs enable visitors to try their hand at controlling a robotic arm to capture satellites, pilot the shuttle to dock it with the ISS, operate a virtual VAB crane, or don a digital space suit to venture out into space. The augmented reality viewers let the visitor see inside structures such as the Orbital Maneuvering System, the cockpit, and the RS-25 cryogenic rocket engine.
