The project “A Touch of Venus” has tested a prototype of the Venus globe at several venues, like the CAP Meeting n Fukuoka and the IAU’s Exhibition “Inspiring Stars” in Vienna. After receiving some feedback, we improved the model to a final version that is being printed. So far 5 out of the 20 Venus globes have been 3D printed. Because they are being painted manually the process is taking longer than initially foreseen.
The activity book is finished with a selection of 9 activities that will help the user learn about different aspects of Venus: its rotation, position in the Solar System, surface features and Venusian female characters. The book has been sent for printing in Braille and large letters. The website “A Touch of the Universe” has already been updated to include all information related to “A Touch of Venus”. The final 3D model of the globe is already available for downloading from the website: https://astrokit.uv.es/downloads.html.
We have already been approached by educators who are willing to receive the kit and a list of potential recipients is being produced. In the next weeks we will submit the activities to AstroEdu and set up the Facebook group. We will make a call of interest to receive the kit and start sending them as soon as possible. We will carry the online training with educators after they have received the resources.