Name the source
Real images and information show their source, date and available credit inside the discovery card.
REAL SPACE · IMAGINED WORLDS
A fantasy game can open a door to real science.
Mythical Void can turn selected NASA public astronomy pictures, Mars images and space-weather information into optional discovery moments. The adventure is fictional. The space material is real, named and credited.
One real astronomy source, one science mission and one impossible creature question. Return tomorrow for another discovery.
ObserveLook for visible details before guessing.
InferSuggest what the clues might mean.
CheckAsk what evidence could test the idea.
ImagineKeep the creature’s story clearly fictional.
FREE FOUR-PAGE ACTIVITY · AGES 9-14
Invent an organism from another dimension.
Begin with a real NASA clue, imagine a realm with impossible rules, design the organism that could live there, then test your idea like a scientist and a game designer.
Made for curious minds:
Use it at home, in a classroom or with a club. Younger designers should work with an adult. This is an independent Mythical Void activity, not a NASA resource or endorsement.
Download the STEM Creature Lab ↓APOLLO 11SEA OF TRANQUILLITYOBSERVE → INFER → CHECKMYTHICAL VOID IMAGINES…
REAL NASA IMAGE · 20 JULY 2024
Apollo 11 Landing Panorama
Neil Armstrong photographed this view from the Eagle lunar module shortly after Apollo 11 landed. The optional discovery asks players to find the spacecraft, shadows and crater edges, then think about what those clues could tell them.
Source and credit:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day. Image credit: Neil Armstrong · Apollo 11 · NASA. NASA does not endorse Mythical Void.
Open the original NASA page ↗THE LEARNING PROMISE
Make the boundary part of the fun.
A child should never have to guess which part came from a scientific source and which part came from the story.
Separate imagination
The creature’s fictional reaction lives in its own clearly labelled “Mythical Void imagines” area.
Invite a question
Prompts focus on noticing, wondering and testing an idea rather than memorising an answer.
Keep it optional
Space discovery adds another layer for curious players; it is not required to understand the main adventure.
WHAT MAY APPEAR
A changing window onto space.
Astronomy pictures
Selected public images can connect real planets, stars, galaxies and missions to something the player has just seen or wondered about.
Mars images
Public Mars rover images can help players compare an imagined realm with a real landscape beyond Earth when a suitable source is available.
Space-weather information
Public solar and space-weather readings can become a prompt about the changing environment around Earth. Live availability is never guaranteed.
What this does not mean
Mythical Void is not an official NASA product, does not claim NASA endorsement and does not present its creatures or worlds as scientific fact.
CURIOSITY IS THE MISSION
Explore the imagined universe. Notice the real one.
The current game is free to try in a browser with no download or account needed.