One of the geekiest things I’ve ever done is participating in a 48-hour hackathon with the theme of building a fully functional simulated environment for a fictional space mission. The hackathon required participants to create software and hardware solutions for a theoretical mission to Mars, involving everything from designing the spaceship’s navigation systems to creating a habitat capable of sustaining a human crew.
In preparation, I collaborated with a team of equally enthusiastic tech enthusiasts who shared my passion for space and technology. We divided ourselves into sub-teams, each focusing on different components of the mission. My role centered on developing an AI-based system to manage and optimize the spaceship’s life support systems, which included designing algorithms capable of adjusting oxygen levels and temperature by analyzing real-time sensory data.
We worked tirelessly, fueled by copious amounts of caffeine and driven by our love for science fiction and innovation. During the process, we encountered numerous technical challenges, from debugging code to integrating disparate systems, but these were met with determination and a spirit of collaboration. The experience was ultimately rewarding, not only for the technical skills gained but also for the camaraderie and creative excitement that comes with turning a piece of sci-fi into a working prototype.
