We are very busy accommodating school tours at this time of year and are not open to the public whilst the schools are onsite. It is essential to book tickets for available tours in advance as there is a limited capacity. 
The team at MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory are thrilled to announce that our project, Terrestrial, was one of 38 projects funded under the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme
Terrestrial is a Game Based Learning project that will teach the public about exoplanets and space exploration using a tabletop game. The project was created by MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory as a response to the Creating Our Future initiative, wherein the Irish public expressed an interest in learning more about exoplanets and space exploration.
The game will see players acting as astronauts stranded in a new solar system. They must race to find and inhabit an Earth-like exoplanet in the system before their oxygen supply runs out. Players will need to use every scientific tool at their disposal to establish whether a planet has breathable air, water, a protective magnetosphere and more! The first player to land on a habitable planet wins the game.
The game will see players completing puzzles based on real scientific analyses such as spectroscopy, photometry, and hydrology while also exposing players to information about real world space missions that use these very techniques.
