Los Angeles — The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been quick to reap the powers of social media network Facebook and micro-blogging outfit Twitter as the US space agency on Monday unveiled its first online space trivia game called “Space Race Blastoff,” a Facebook app that allows multiple players to compete for cosmic bragging rights.
If you are a space fanatic or would like to grasp more information about the history of the space program, you can hop onto play the Space Race Blastoff game now on Facebook, both solo and in multiplayer mode, is a blend of Space Camp and “Jeopardy!” that pits players against one another in a quiz on NASA and space exploration history, and answer questions such as “Who was the first American to walk in space?” and “Who launched the first liquid-fueled rocket?”
This superb space exploration game is available today on Facebook. NASA hopes to use the game as a tool to introduce NASA to a “wide new audience of people accustomed to using social media,” according to David Weaver, NASA’s associate administrator for communications.
The online game, Space Race Blastoff, assesses players knowledge of science, technology, space-related pop culture, NASA’s history, and much more. Players compete against up to two competitors in a race to the top of the launch pad. Players with enough correct answers can earn award badges emblazoned with NASA astronauts, spaceships or astronomical objects, NASA game designers said.
Multiplayer games are perfect for Facebook since it is easy to get a friend or two involved. Once engrossed in the game, players choose an avatar and answer 10 multiple-choice questions. Besides, each correct answer earns 100 points, with a 20-point bonus to the player who answers first. At the end of ten questions, the winner moves on to a bonus round where a correct answer to the final bonus question earns a badge.
Space Race Blastoff, NASA’s first online game for the social media age. CREDIT: NASA
“’Space Race Blastoff’ uncovers NASA’s history and research to a wide new audience of people accustomed to using social media,” said Weaver, in a statement. “Space experts and novices will learn new things about how exploration continues to impact our world.”
Moreover, it seems that the game boasts a huge repository of questions. Players thus do not have to worry about being asked the same questions repeatedly, and you will also likely learn quite a bit from playing.
Furthermore, the ‘Space Race Blastoff’ game was conceived and created by Scott Hanger, Todd Powell and Jamie Noguchi of NASA’s Internet Services Group in the Office of Communications. The space agency says this is the latest attempt into digital and social media. The space agency already routinely hops onto Twitter to announce space news and discoveries, and recently launched a space-themed Internet radio show.
It seems the game boasts all kinds of fun for NASA fans and space fanatics of all ages. You can find the game here.