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Operation Unseen
Citizen Science Application to aid in the analysis of Mars core rock samples
2021
“When the agency’s newest rover mission searches for fossilized microscopic life on the Red Planet, how will scientists know whether they’ve found it?”
-Searching for Life in NASA's Perseverance Mars Samples
NASA, 2021
Operation Unseen was a collaborative application design for a citizen science concept inspired by the collection of core rock samples by the NASA rover Perseverance.
The applications aim was to engage a comprehensive community of participants to contribute to the creation of a database of bioclastic rocks existing on the Earth's surface to potentially aid in the identification of microbial life in rock samples retrieved during the Mars 2020 mission.
Operation Unseen would act as both a data collection method to assist scientists and researchers in their efforts to identify the potential for life on Mars through comparison to similar samples on Earth, and simultaneously educate and inspire enthusiasm for ongoing astronomical discoveries.
One of the primary target groups for this project were youth and potentially classroom environments, with functions designed specifically to invite youth engagement.
Playful and friendly typefaces were chosen for on-screen text and a colour palette inspired by the planet Mars and outer space.
Three user options were identified to easily identify the needs and motivations of different participators.
The application home page features an interactive hotspot map, countdown to the return of the Perseverance rover, and latest news and photos from the Mars 2020 mission.
A separate section provides access to more in-depth data, articles, and videos from the ongoing mission. This helps users to feel engaged and invested in the progress of the mission and its potential discoveries.
The map function of the app allows users to upload entries of potential bioclastic rock samples they have located and provide documentation for future analysis. They can also view entries made by other users in their area and contribute to them.
The Learning Hub provides tutorials and resources to educate users on how to proceed with searching for possible bioclastic samples.
Exclusive to Young Scientist users is the Kid's zone, that contains a more playful and milestone oriented approach to contributing findings through the app. It also allows for collaboration through a virtual classroom feature for educational settings.
Each user is given a customizable profile where they can track their contributions to the project and earn badges and other signifiers of progress.
Collaborators
Liam Lefebvre
Yuxin Liang
Matilda Pinksen
* Illustrations and animation completed by other members of the team. User experience, interfaces, and layouts developed collaboratively. I was individually responsible for the visual identity of the application and the interactive map aspect of the project.
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