Junior Astronaut Mission Trainer

For players, families, teachers & judges

Where our facts come from

The facts in Junior Astronaut Mission Trainer come from NASA. Here's each one, what it changes in the game, and what we made simpler so it's fun to play.

Our NASA sources

NASA's Sun-storm log

LIVE + SAVED

What it is: NASA writes down every Sun flash, radiation storm and giant Sun cloud, every single day.

In the game: Your trip replays real days from this log. When the records run out, their original dates repeat; repeats are labeled SAVED, never new live observations. If NASA saw a real radiation storm that day, you get a radiation alarm. If a fast Sun cloud flew off, you get a warning and it shows up a day or two later. "Today's Sun" and "Surprise me" ask NASA right when you start. The famous storms were saved from NASA on 14 Nov 2026.

For grown-ups: DONKI (Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information), NASA Goddard CCMC — FLR, SEP and CME records. CMEs ≥ 800 km/s count; travel time uses the real Sun–Mars distance.

Visit the NASA page

Curiosity rover's weather station

SAVED

What it is: NASA's Curiosity rover has measured how hot and cold it gets on Mars every day since 2012.

In the game: Each trip repeats a saved set of real Mars temperatures. The colder the real night, the more battery your heater needs (2⚡, 3⚡ or 4⚡).

For grown-ups: Curiosity REMS daily min/max air temperature and pressure, Gale Crater, sols 223–4714.

Visit the NASA page

Curiosity rover's radiation meter

NASA MEASUREMENT

What it is: Curiosity also measures the invisible radiation on Mars.

In the game: On a normal day your crew gets about 0.64 radiation units, just like Curiosity measured. Water walls block some of it.

For grown-ups: Curiosity RAD: ~0.64 mSv/sol average surface dose equivalent.

Visit the NASA page

NASA's planet maps

WORKED OUT

What it is: NASA knows exactly where Earth and Mars are on any day.

In the game: We work out how far apart Earth and Mars were on each day of your trip. That tells us how long a message takes (3 to 22 minutes), and when the Sun is in the way. Stories about asking Earth for help use this wait.

For grown-ups: NASA JPL Approximate Positions of the Planets (Keplerian elements, 1800–2050).

Visit the NASA page

NASA's astronaut science library

NASA STUDIES

What it is: NASA keeps the results of experiments about how space changes plants, animals and people.

In the game: The science cards at the end of each day link to real NASA studies.

For grown-ups: NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR / GeneLab).

Visit the NASA page

NASA's numbers for keeping astronauts alive

NASA NUMBERS

What it is: NASA has worked out how much air and food astronauts need. NASA robots also taught us about Mars dust and power.

In the game: Your crew always uses 1 day of air and 1 day of food each day. Dust lowers your solar power, like it did to NASA's InSight and Opportunity. The nuclear power plant keeps working in dust storms, like NASA's Kilopower test.

For grown-ups: NASA Life Support Baseline Values and Assumptions Document (~0.84 kg O₂ per person per day); InSight, Opportunity, MOXIE and Kilopower mission results.

Visit the NASA page

Famous Sun storms you can play

The Big September Storm

2017-09-01 → 2017-09-15 · 35 Sun flashes · 9 radiation storms · 19 Sun clouds

Two of the biggest Sun flashes in 10 years. NASA's Curiosity rover saw radiation on Mars jump to more than double the normal amount.

The Gannon Superstorm

2024-05-01 → 2024-05-15 · 148 Sun flashes · 14 radiation storms · 69 Sun clouds

Giant dark spots on the Sun threw out cloud after cloud of hot gas. Glowing northern lights were seen as far south as Florida!

The Sun's Busiest Time

2024-09-29 → 2024-10-13 · 61 Sun flashes · 9 radiation storms · 71 Sun clouds

The Sun gets extra busy every 11 years. In this busy time it made one of its biggest flashes ever seen (Oct 3).

A Calm Winter

2022-01-28 → 2022-02-11 · 5 Sun flashes · 0 radiation storms · 36 Sun clouds

A fairly calm Sun. Good practice for new commanders!

Halloween Flare

2021-10-20 → 2021-11-03 · 15 Sun flashes · 10 radiation storms · 37 Sun clouds

A huge Sun flash on Oct 28 sent tiny, super-fast bits racing through space.

The Near Miss

2012-07-10 → 2012-07-24 · 3 Sun flashes · 7 radiation storms · 8 Sun clouds

NASA's Curiosity rover was flying to Mars. On July 23 a super-fast Sun cloud blasted out — luckily it missed Earth.

The Quiet Sun

2019-11-25 → 2019-12-09 · 0 Sun flashes · 0 radiation storms · 3 Sun clouds

The quietest the Sun ever gets. But a quiet Sun lets in MORE radiation from deep space!

Astronaut science cards

  • Scientists checked lettuce grown on the Space Station for germs and vitamins. It was safe to eat!

    NASA study OSD-268 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): Microbiological and nutritional analysis of lettuce crops grown on the International Space Station (VEG-01B)

  • Astronauts grew tomatoes in space under different colored lights. Plants need light to grow — that's why your plant room needs power.

    NASA study OSD-766 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): The microbial communities of a tomato crop grown in Veggie under different lighting regimes on the ISS

  • When things weigh less in space, muscles and bones get weaker. Mice on the Space Station helped scientists test ways to keep them strong.

    NASA study OSD-342 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): Targeting myostatin/activin A protects against skeletal muscle and bone loss during spaceflight

  • Even the tiny germs in your tummy change in space — and that might have to do with bones getting weaker.

    NASA study OSD-417 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): Specific Host Metabolite and Gut Microbiome Alterations Are Associated with Bone-loss During Spaceflight

  • Scientists studied what happens to the body when it gets space radiation AND weighs less, both at the same time.

    NASA study OSD-202 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): Low dose (0.04 Gy) irradiation and hindlimb unloading microgravity in mice: brain transcriptomic and epigenomic data

  • Scientists looked at how going to space can make parts of the brain swell up a little — one reason we protect crews.

    NASA study OSD-536 ↗

    Study name (for grown-ups): Gene expression profiling for spaceflight induced-neuroinflammation in the mouse brain

What we made simpler

  • All four systems start at 100% and stay between 0% and 100%. These percentages are a game scale, not NASA measurements. Bigger cargo tanks still start full but hold more.
  • The base runs its air maker, plant lights and water walls by itself. Your story choices change supplies and how well the machines work. If air, food, stored power or radiation safety reaches 0%, the mission ends. The goal is to survive as many full days as possible, with no time limit.
  • NASA saw the Sun flashes and radiation storms from near Earth. Mars is usually in a different spot, so in the game we pretend the Sun was pointing at Mars too.
  • Storm radiation in the game is a "be ready for the worst" amount. Mars's air blocks some radiation, and real storms can be bigger or smaller.
  • The danger line of 25 radiation units is just for this game. NASA's real lifetime limit for an astronaut is 600.
  • Dust piles up on the panels much faster than in real life, so you notice it during play.
  • Dust storms and surprises are picked by chance. The Sun, the Mars weather and the message wait are real.

Questions to talk about

  1. Why can't astronauts on Mars just call Earth when something goes wrong?
  2. When did hiding in the storm shelter help? What did you give up?
  3. Did the nuclear power plant or the extra solar panels help more? What happens in a dust storm?
  4. Play the same famous storm twice with different boxes. What changed?
🚀 Start a mission

Junior Astronaut Mission Trainer is a learning game. It is not made by NASA.