MiniSpaceWorld Design Contest Nears Finish

by | Nov 7, 2009 | Culture and Society | 6 comments

My friend Tibor Pacher reports that the MiniSpaceWorld Design Contest is getting quite interesting, with six submissions of high quality, all going in different directions. Tibor’s goal is to build a scale model world that, like the famous Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, shows off space technology in tiny, exquisite detail. We’re used to seeing this kind of thing particularly in the model railroad world, so why not extend the idea into space as a tool for educators?

msw_logo

Now you can go to the site to see basic maps from the contestants. The contest award ceremony is to be held in Budapest on December 5 in the Congress Hall of the Research Centre for Social Studies, a Hungarian Academy of Sciences institute, and as Tibor notes, this is in the Budapest castle district, so there is much more to do in the area for those lucky enough to attend. Be aware that voting on the submissions is open until November 15, and have a look at the MSW site for more information.

6 Comments

  1. george scaglione on November 7, 2009 at 15:30

    this really fires my imagination and i will take a much better look later! hope also that this draws a load of comments from all of our members.but in the mean time,just my bad luck to find the subject about 5 minutes before i have to get on to other things! saw some great stuff recently about space elevators too.experiments by the u.s. air force yet! tickles me pink because if the defense dept is interested it will not only be taken seriously but also reasonably funded.oppps! but as i say i have to run.the very best my friends.respectfully george

  2. Tibor on November 7, 2009 at 17:24

    I found it amazing what the teams tell us. Here’s my digest (the listing follows simply the time sequence of the submissions’ arrival, there is no valuation behind it):

    Science fiction has always understood the interdependence of society and its environment. Life will inevitably have an impact on its surrounding environment, and that will in turn influence the evolution of life.

    – Team Maximegalon

    Ancient explorers dreamed about new lands under the same sky. We can dream about new skies within the same infinity. We can step out of our Cradle, explore our neighbourhoods, go further, step into the skies of a different galactic territory and live anywhere in peace. Space stations can turn this dream to reality.

    – Team PARADRON

    Our aim is to awake the new, young generation to the fact that sci-fi is an amasing thing. And if they learn physics and maths well, they could also be an astronaut. And maybe they will reach that planet, where this city will be built.

    – Team Wolf’s Freedom

    I like Budapest very much. I like the big buildings, and the older buildings between them. And my design is to show you, what will happen with this beautiful city, if we can or we can’t stop the global warming.

    – Team Black Hole

    Humanity can and will reach the stars, encounter alien civilizations. I think, MSW should have this message… and it has it in the other rooms… so Far Worlds should be the same.

    – Team SpaceLemur

    models show the human spectator as the centre of the universe. spectators define things compared to themselves, but first they forget about their true sizes. a rightful model places things where they really belong to, while separating the essential from the insignificant. where you belong to is between the points where you arrive and where you started from. it is never the same. metamorphosis happens if you get inside. only from here can you look out. and see anything.

    – Team metamorphoses

    Enjoy the details of every submission at the dedicated team pages; enter here

  3. george scaglione on November 8, 2009 at 14:12

    yes! the new generation must be awakened to science and sf ! and in a way that would want them to become a part of the whole scene! the near future will indeed be their world and if things are to be,get,done,then their vigourous energetic and intelligent young minds must be a part of the scene! no doubt.respectfully tibor your friend george

  4. Tibor on November 8, 2009 at 16:30

    George, I am absolutely with you! And I am very happy to have excellent advocates under our contestants: e.g. the members of Team Wolf’s Freedom are Adam, 17, who did all the graphic design, and David, just turning 17 soon, who wrote the stories, both secondary school pupils. And SpaceLemur is actually Thomas, aged 26, studies Visual Communications at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. Best, Tibor

  5. MG Ellington on November 9, 2009 at 10:30

    This is really exciting. Thank you for posting an article about it. Please follow up once a winning team is selected.

  6. george scaglione on November 9, 2009 at 16:33

    yes sir tibor the question of getting the young people on board is no more than logical sense to me! not suprised we see eye to eye! thank you again your friend george