GLOBAL, FEBRUARY 1, 2012: How well do you know space science, astronauts, and the periodic table?
NASA is recruiting Facebook friends for “Space Race Blastoff”, the US space agency’s very own social media game developed by Scott Hanger, Todd Powell and Jamie Noguchi of NASA’s own Internet Services Group.
“Space Race Blastoff opens NASA’s history and research to a wide new audience of people accustomed to using social media,” David Weaver, a NASA spokesman, said. “Space experts and novices will learn new things about how exploration continues to impact our world,” he added.
NASA has quickly adopted to the emerging social media trends, with a commanding presence in both Facebook (over 700,000 likes) and Twitter (over 1.8 million followers). The space agency also offers Foursquare badges to visitors to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and mission control in Houston, among others.
Questions range from common knowledge (“Who was the first American to walk in space?”) to the quite difficult (“Who launched the first liquid-fueled rocket?”). The game can be played solo or against other users, and players earn virtual badges as they progress through the game. These badges bear resemblance to NASA astronauts, spacecraft, and other celestial objects like stars.
Gamers and space geeks can access the game via apps.facebook.com/spacerace.
