This is not a game dressed up as physics. The physics is the mission.
An asteroid will strike Mars in 72 hours. Extinction level impact, millions of lives. Your students reach Mars orbit, pass a physics certification exam at Research Lab R-1, and execute a precision deflection using Newtonian mechanics. Get the impulse wrong and the deflection misses. There is no partial credit at the console.
Before they can deflect the asteroid, they have to earn the console.
At Research Lab R-1 the crew sits a four question multiple choice certification exam. It is not decoration. It is the gate the mission puts in front of the calculation that saves Mars.
| Question | Physics content |
|---|---|
| 1 | Impulse-momentum theorem. Calculate J = mΔv for collision scenarios. |
| 2 | Conservation of momentum. Analyze inelastic collisions. |
| 3 | Kinetic energy transfer. Determine energy lost as heat. |
| 4 | Center of mass. Account for density distribution affecting impulse delivery. |
A wrong answer is not a dead end. The student gets detailed feedback explaining the physics step by step and can retry or continue. The system records whether each question was answered correctly, for your data, not as a gate that ends the mission.
Five phases. The crew isn't watching physics happen, they're doing it.
| Phase | Activity |
|---|---|
| Transit | Navigate to Mars orbit, coordinate crew roles, establish communication protocols |
| Certification | Complete the four question physics exam at Research Lab R-1 |
| Analysis | Gather asteroid data through uranium sampling and seismic analysis |
| Deflection | Execute precision momentum, impulse, and energy calculations to save millions |
| Complications | Rescue the enslaved Trillian species, engage Dominion forces if it comes to that |
The complications are the part teachers tell us about afterward. A crew that has just spent 40 minutes on a deflection calculation now has to decide what a rescue is worth, on the clock, out loud, with the asteroid still inbound.
Students remember missions. They forget worksheets.
| Traditional lab | This mission |
|---|---|
| Calculate on paper | Calculate to save two million lives |
| Hypothetical scenario | Consequence driven decisions |
| Individual work | Team coordination under time pressure |
| Teacher evaluates what they can see | Every interaction is captured and role labeled |
Run it as a capstone after momentum, impulse, and energy are taught. The mission applies what students learned. It does not teach the concepts from scratch, and it is not a substitute for the unit.
What our reports document, and what they do not.
Reports for this mission currently focus on ELA oral language and science communication: eight TEKS Student Expectations.
| Strand | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ELA | Meaningful discourse, complex instructions, formal presentation, collaborative decision making |
| Science practices | Ask questions, develop explanations, communicate solutions, scientific argumentation |
The mission's quantitative spine, the momentum and impulse and energy calculations, is the experience. Our automated reports currently emphasize communication and teamwork over physics problem solving. The four exam results are captured per student. Deeper physics process measurement is roadmap, not shipped.
STATED UP FRONT // NOT DISCOVERED LATER
We would rather you know this before you book than feel misled after the reports arrive.
Full TEKS crosswalk with verbatim citations is available in our Standards Alignment Matrix. Email [email protected] and we will send it. Alignment references describe how mission evidence maps to these frameworks. They are not endorsements by the framework owners.
Three documents, written for three different readers.
Individual student reports
Role specific performance at their station, communication and teamwork metrics, and exam results showing which of the four questions each student answered correctly.
Teacher dashboard
Class wide patterns, evidence mapped to TEKS Student Expectations, and discussion ready clips and quotes for the debrief you run the next day.
Campus summary
Aggregate engagement data and standards documentation, formatted for grant reporting and the conversations your administration has with funders.
All processing happens locally on our equipment inside your building. No student audio, video, or transcript data leaves your campus. The consent packet covers capture, retention, deletion, and who controls the data. No PII is retained after reports are delivered.
What your campus has to provide. It is not much.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long? | 90 minutes of mission time, about 105 with setup and debrief |
| Where? | We bring the simulator to your campus. A gym, cafeteria, or large classroom works. Setup takes about 45 minutes. |
| Staff needed? | Zero. Our crew handles facilitation, setup, and student guidance. |
| Best fit? | AP Physics 1, physics honors, or a STEM capstone course |
| Prerequisite? | Students should have covered momentum, impulse, and energy in class |
At 105 minutes a cycle, this mission fits a block schedule better than a bell schedule. Ask us about pairing it with The Meridian Rescue so one campus day serves both your AP section and a wider grade level.
Your business office has seen this before.
| Source | Fit |
|---|---|
| CTE and Perkins V | Career readiness, applied STEM skills |
| Title IV, Part A | Well rounded education, technology integration |
| STEM grants | Hands on science and engineering |
| AP course funding | Capstone and enrichment for physics courses |
We provide budget justification language and funding pathway documentation on request. Your federal programs office makes the final call on allowability. Full detail on the schools page.
Your physics unit ends in a worksheet or it ends on Mars.
Claim the date.
Prefer to talk first? Email [email protected]
Our reports document communication and teamwork evidence mapped to TEKS. The physics content is the mission experience. Criterion validated physics process measurement is future roadmap. We are upfront about what the system measures today.