---
title: Planet Ari
layout: project
description: Planet Ari is a science adventure for ages 14 to 18 that flies a real, data-driven Solar System in the browser.
canonical: https://bowdencloud.com/planet-ari
image: https://bowdencloud.com/assets/media/share-default.webp
image_alt: bowdenCloud - the digital workshop of Steve Bowden
last_modified: "2026-10-17"
tag: Space Science Adventure
accent: green
pitch: Fly a real, moving Solar System and solve its science to make Mars bloom.
features:
  - 23 story nodes, each with a science challenge
  - 94 objects at their true positions for any date
  - Orbits limited to what two-body physics permits
  - Educator summary with CSV and JSON export
  - Offline play after installation
order: 1
status: live
link: https://planets.bowdencloud.com
link_label: Play Planet Ari
icon: /assets/media/icons/planet-ari.webp
media:
  - src: /assets/media/planet-ari/cover.webp
    alt: Cover art of Ari and a small companion looking across a low-poly world toward a large planet
    caption: Planet Ari cover art
  - src: /assets/media/planet-ari/title.webp
    alt: The Planet Ari title screen with Story Mode, Explore Mode, and the Educator Summary
    caption: Story Mode, Explore Mode, and the Educator Summary
  - src: /assets/media/planet-ari/explore.webp
    alt: Explore Mode with Earth selected, its orbit in view, and a panel of live data
    caption: Explore Mode - Earth at its true position
---

Planet Ari is an educational science adventure for ages 14 to 18. Ari, a pilot and scientist from Mars, flies the Solar System to repair the Terracore. This experiment grows the first apple tree in Martian soil.

Story Mode has 23 story nodes across three acts. Each node has a playable science challenge, voiced dialogue with subtitles, and scene art. Players read atmospheres, plot transfers, and judge evidence.

Explore Mode places 94 objects at their true positions for any date. These include planets, 29 moons, dwarf planets, comets, and the Voyager and New Horizons probes. A player can put the spacecraft into orbit around a body. The game accepts the orbit only when two-body physics makes it possible.

Astronomy Engine calculates planet positions in the browser, with no API call during play. Data from JPL Horizons and the JPL Small-Body Database gives the other moons, asteroids, and comets.

The game records learning evidence for each pilot profile. An educator summary shows progress for each outcome and exports CSV or JSON.

Planet Ari is a PWA built with TypeScript and three.js. It plays offline after installation. The story content loads from JSON that [GameLore](/gamelore) exported.

Options include subtitles, text up to 160 percent, high contrast, reduced motion, remappable controls, and relaxed timing.