That is where we realised, that the foundation for the outreach for space, that is education of space science, doesn’t exist in India at the fundamental level.
We worked on it as our graduation projects and started Astrophilia Education just before we graduated from NID in June 2021, with a simple vision, promoting space science among the children using interactive learning methods.
Initially, we were working on developing space science laboratories for schools along with the workshop structures, expanding into the space science curriculum. In the process, we were constantly in touch with educators, teachers, students, and all the other stakeholders involved. However, because of the second wave of Covid-19, we had to completely rework our plans as schools were closed.
We focused on direct-to-consumer products, thinking if we can not reach the students in schools, we should approach them directly. We started developing our two initial products in the month of June when everything started coming back to normal. after 6 months of intense product development and testing cycles, we just introduced our first two products to the market.
One of the biggest challenges while designing the products was, how to convey the complex information about rockets or rovers in a simple manner. And that is where the hands-on building approach and interactive media come into the picture. The kits that we developed are not just learning products, but provide a comprehensive learning experience with the help of digital and physical media and DIY building methods.
Added herewith is the description of the products:
As children, looking up at the stars and wondering about what lay beyond the dome above our heads was a moment of awe. All the burning questions we have as kids seem to disappear into the throes of practicality as we age. What if we nurtured that spark from day one?
The chance to bring into the light that love for space and the universe for children is the inspiration for Astrophilia Education.
We are creating a collection of space science topic-specific products, printables, and modern educational material curated to allow multiple use, knowledge delivery, and fun.
They are DIY products that can be built and rebuilt to illustrate the point of the topic. This is aimed at promoting the scientific way of thinking and drawing conclusions.
Rocketry and flight is a large kit aimed at looking at rocketry in a new way, by building and rebuilding multiple rockets with their constituent parts. Additionally, it includes exploration of aerodynamics with its gliders and fun with its rocket launcher.
Rocketry & Flight Kit:
Buildable rockets, Gliders, and Vacuum rocket launcher, Poster on Rocketry, Poster on Flight, Augmented reality cards to explore the real-life rockets and know about how they work.
Rover X lets the user construct an electrically powered rover from scratch! Along with posters and educational content, both kits include augmented reality to look into the real world of space-faring construction.
Rover X kit:
Buildable rover (Powered), Poster on Rover, Augmented reality cards to explore the real-life rovers and how they work.
As mentioned above, the kits have three different mediums of learning:
1. Buildable products
2. Print media around the topic
3. Augmented reality around the topic.
As we move forward, we aim to develop more topic-specific kits, creating an ecosystem of these products and making them accessible to all.
With the vision to promote space science and create an impact in the field, it would be really great if you could spread the word and help us reach more children and parents.
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
