NASA’s latest game makes you a network admin… in SPACE!

NASA has released a new browser-based game made to let you build a computer network that spans the globe and then orbits it with satellites in low earth orbit.

NetworKing, developed at the Ames Research Center’s Information Technology Office, lets players take on a role not unlike the one played by the real-world office

Once in space, it’s possible to achieve multiple levels of progress. Players begin with a Near Earth Network, which includes geosynchronous satellites like those used in the Global Positioning System (GPS). Later on, a Deep Space Network supports interplanetary communication. At the highest levels, missions culminate in actual NASA projects including the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The game uses 3D graphics, but is playable in a browser thanks to the popular Unity graphics engine plugin. A browser-based game also means that it is cross-platform, meaning it’s playable on your OS and browser of choice as long as Unity is supported. Players can get started playing the game right now.

NASA’s previous game release, Moonbase Alpha, was an MMO set on the moon. It was perhaps best known for a text-to-speech feature in its in-game chat channel that soon became something of a playground for trolls as the video below demonstrates: