IMPACT – Gamers help ESA map lunar craters – a project by h_da

The ESA is planning a lunar base in collaboration with NASA, with landing modules set to deliver the necessary materials. One challenge is that the software currently in use does not yet recognise lunar craters with sufficient precision, which could pose a danger to the modules. Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences is therefore developing a game called ‘IMPACT’ in collaboration with ESA, in which players build a lunar base whilst marking lunar craters to improve the AI software. The game will be presented to the public for the first time at Gamescom, both at the joint stand of the State of Hesse and at the ESA stand.

From 2031, the ESA plans to carry out several lunar missions using the “Argonaut” lunar lander, including a collaboration with NASA on a research base. Lunar craters pose a danger to landing spacecraft, as even small craters can cause the modules to tip over. The software used to date does not yet recognise craters with sufficient precision. However, according to Professor Stephan Jacob from h_da, humans are very good at recognising shapes and differences in brightness, which is advantageous for crater detection.

Two years ago, Professor Stephan Jacob, together with 15 students, developed various prototypes and concepts for a game. This initiative gave rise to a research project, which is now being further developed by a team of research staff and students. In cooperation with the ESA, the game is to be finalised in order to train the ESA’s AI-supported software using data.

In the game, players take on the role of astronauts who must establish a lunar base and safely position landing modules. After landing, they search for a suitable location for the base, ideally within a crater. On a surface composed of real lunar images, players must identify and mark craters. They then conduct research and extract raw materials, whilst landing new components, such as solar panels, between the craters. Successful players unlock more areas of the lunar surface to expand the settlement. As many players are building in the same areas, researchers receive multiple data sets from the same regions, which improves crater detection.

The aim is to tag 80 million data points on the lunar surface, which are to be collected by the gaming community. Professor Stephan Jacob emphasises that this would be a laborious task to carry out manually, but is enjoyable for gamers within the game. He highlights that video games often have a deeper purpose and demonstrates that, through the game IMPACT, gamers could help make the landing of space probes safer.