The Planet Files

Untold Stories of the Planets — Discover the voices of our solar system.

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Inspiration

We’ve always been fascinated by space—the vastness, the mysteries, and the stories we imagine behind those distant celestial bodies. “The Planet Files” was born from that curiosity. We wanted to blend storytelling with space science in a way that feels alive, memorable, and a little playful. With hackathon time pressure and a dream to make something beautiful and educational, this project came to life.

What it does

The Planet Files is a web-based experience that lets users explore the solar system through short, engaging, and imaginative stories told from the perspective of each planet. It’s not just facts—it’s personality, emotion, and a touch of cosmic drama.

How we built it

We built the project using:

  • Flask (Python): for the backend routing and data management
  • HTML/CSS/JavaScript: for the front-end storytelling visuals and UI
  • Jinja2: for dynamically rendering content based on user interactions
  • Static assets like space-themed music and planetary visuals to enhance immersion

We collaborated using Git and GitHub, managing our workflow together in real-time.

Challenges we ran into

  • Browsers not playing music automatically due to autoplay restrictions
  • Deployment issues, especially with Vercel and Flask integration
  • Team collaboration, as it was our first time working on a single project together
  • Framing stories in a way that balanced science with personality without sounding too silly or too formal

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • We created and deployed the full project in just two days
  • The final version looks beautiful and feels fun to experience
  • It was the first time the three of us collaborated on a hackathon project—and we did it successfully!

What we learned

  • My friends learned how to use Git, GitHub, and how to deploy live web projects
  • We all learned the power of teamwork, especially under time pressure
  • We also discovered how to balance creativity and logic when telling stories with code

What's next for The Planet Files

  • Voice acting for planets to bring the stories to life
  • Adding choices and branches to make the experience more interactive
  • Enhancing the visual design to match the depth of the stories
  • Possibly turning it into a full educational platform for kids and space lovers alike
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