SpaceBuzz

A gigantic semitrailer slowly pulls into the school playground, with an enormous 15-metre-long rocket attached on the top. The children and parents curiously gather around and start taking pictures. People questioningly start chatting to one another: ‘What could that be?’. It’s not every day you see something like this in front of your school. The SpaceBuzz has arrived.

When astronauts go into outer space it has a very profound effect on them, this is called the Overview Effect. It occurs when astronauts find themselves floating through outer space looking out over our planet. They see just how vulnerable planet Earth is and realise the importance of taking care of our planet. This effect ultimately is the foundation of the concept of SpaceBuzz. SpaceBuzz is an (non-profit) educational programme which teaches children from the of ages 10 to 12 years old more about the Earth, the universe and technology. André Kuipers, astronaut and ambassador of the Earth, wants to turn every child into an ambassador of planet Earth by showing children the importance of taking care of our planet because we only have one Earth.

SpaceBuzz has been created by a team of enthusiastic professionals. The team consist of a handful of dreamers, thinkers, doers and daring individuals who all hold faith in the future. Maak helps SpaceBuzz to realise their goals. This is done by visiting schools and offering children the opportunity to go aboard the SpaceBuzz where they can go on a virtual reality journey through outer space. Maak directs and assists the SpaceBuzz team by taking control of the project planning and implementation. In other words, we make sure that the SpaceBuzz comes to every school and everything runs smoothly.

The way the overview effect affects astronauts and how they use this experience to teach children is very powerful. For this reason, we were awarded two golden SpinAwards in 2020 in the category 'User Experience' and 'Innovation'. The choice for VR is an excellent medium to let children and adults feel and experience something, but as far as the jury is concerned, the strength is in the behavioural change that has cleverly and intelligently been introduced. The case was also praised for the scope, how we reach tens of thousands of children per year and the ambition to go international with the programme.

Maroeska, who works in the production team at Maak, says: ’’It feels so good to be a part of such a beautiful non-profit project which has the goal of inspiring the upcoming generation. Learning through SpaceBuzz and virtual reality is such a new and unique process in the world of education. When the SpaceBuzz arrives at a school playground it’s hard for kids not to be impressed. The enthusiasm of the kids combined with the overarching goal of SpaceBuzz is something that brings us a lot of joy”.

SpaceBuzz is constantly evolving. The user tests have wrapped up, the SpaceBuzz is travelling to schools and the awareness is increasing. The SpaceBuzz project has also travelled to the USA to launch internationally by visiting the Space Centers – NASA Houston and the IAC Washington, with the purpose of partnering with other international astronauts.