INTERPLANETARY RESOURCE EXTRACTION AUTHORITY · DOCUMENT AR7/OPS/001
THE ASTRO
RAKER PROGRAM
A 1987 programming challenge for you and your team: write the code that runs a mining rover on asteroid AR-7.
Already invited? Use the team link from your host.
SECTION 01 · WHAT IS THIS
A PROGRAMMING GAME, PLAYED FOR KEEPS
Astro Raker is a coding challenge in disguise. You and your team write a program — in any language that can speak HTTP — that remotely operates a mining rover on a distant asteroid. There is no steering wheel. Every observation, every decision and every move goes through your code, while the mission unfolds live on the big screen.
No map is provided. No coordinates are given. The clock is strict and the terrain is not your friend.
It also doubles as a first-rate AI exercise: solve the first mission with nothing but your own code, then let AI assistants join for the next one. Comparing the two runs teaches you more about working with AI than most courses do.
NINE STARTER KITS · ONE HTTP API
YOUR LANGUAGE. YOUR MISSION.
Pick a language you already know. Each kit includes a working rover client and the same mission-call example, ready for you to adapt.
- JavaScript
- TypeScript
- Python
- Java
- C#
- C++
- Go
- Kotlin
- Scala
SECTION 02 · BACKGROUND BRIEFING
THE YEAR IS 1987. MOSTLY.
In an alternative version of our own history, Earth's energy crisis has turned acute. The Interplanetary Resource Extraction Authority — IREA — has located a harmless, highly energetic blue crystal on asteroid AR-7. The resource is designated ASTRALYTE. The extraction operation is codenamed BLUE HARVEST.
To crew it, IREA runs THE ASTRO RAKER PROGRAM: an evaluation of Rover Operations Teams. The team whose autonomous control system performs best will be selected for the next phase of the large-scale Astralyte effort. Your team has been shortlisted. Congratulations are premature.
SECTION 03 · THE JOURNEY
YOUR ROVER IS WAITING AT BASE
When the mission clock starts, your program takes over: probe the surroundings, chart a path through terrain nobody has mapped, find the telltale glow of Astralyte, and haul as much of it home as physics and deadlines allow. Somewhere out in the dark, other rovers are attempting the same.
Expect your first plan to be wrong. Expect your second plan to be better. That is the point.
FURTHER OPERATIONAL DETAILS ARE CLASSIFIED UNTIL MISSION START.
SECTION 04 · HOW IT WORKS
THREE STEPS TO THE ASTEROID
Your host issues a team link and API key. Your team gets its own rovers.
Any language that speaks HTTP. Scan the surroundings, decide, send commands, repeat.
Missions run live in mission control. Cheer, groan, patch your code, run it again.
THE ENTIRE INTERFACE IS PLAIN HTTP. THIS IS A REAL COMMAND:
curl -X POST $BASE_URL/api/rovers/$ROVER_ID/commands \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-H "idempotency-key: $(uuidgen)" \
-d '{"roundId":"round-1","type":"move","direction":"north"}'SECTION 05 · APPROVED OPERATING MODES
RUN IT YOUR WAY
One operator, one rover, one deadline. Sharpen your skills at your own pace.
One keyboard, the whole team. An excellent exercise in thinking out loud under pressure.
Put office teams against each other on the big screen. Rivalries may outlast the mission.
A guided session with multiple missions, live commentary and an awards ceremony.
Run mission one on brainpower alone, mission two with AI assistants. Explore what AI adds — and what it doesn't.
SECTION 06 · HOST PLANNING BRIEF
PLANNING A SESSION?
Everything a host needs to know before inviting a team.
- TEAMS
- Up to 20 per session
- TEAM SIZE
- 1 person to a full mob — up to 5 rovers per team
- MISSION LENGTH
- 30, 60 or 120 minutes — or set your own
- MISSIONS PER SESSION
- As many as fit — add more mid-workshop
- EQUIPMENT
- A big screen, laptops, any language with HTTP — and coffee
SECTION 07 · BRIEFING APPENDIX · FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I need to be good at coding?
If you can make an HTTP request and read JSON, you are qualified. IREA entry standards are flexible.
Which languages can I use?
Starter kits are available for JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, C++, Go, Kotlin, Scala. Any other language that can speak HTTP can use the same API.
Can I play alone?
Yes. One person can be a team. The rover will not judge you.
How long does it take?
Missions run 30–120 minutes. A workshop with several missions fits comfortably in an afternoon.
Do we all share one rover?
Up to you. A team can field up to five rovers — or share a single one, if you enjoy committee meetings.
Can we use AI?
Encouraged. A popular format: first mission human-only, second mission AI-assisted. The difference is educational. Sometimes humbling.
What if my rover gets stuck?
That is between you and your rover.
SECTION 08 · FIELD REPORTS
WORD FROM THE OPERATORS
“My rover drove into the same rock for forty minutes. Would enlist again.”
“We refactored mid-mission. IREA does not recommend this. We do.”
“The big screen made my for-loop feel like a moon landing.”
SECTION 09 · ENLISTMENT
READY TO OPERATE?
Choose one of nine starter kits, or bring any language that can make HTTP requests. Every rover uses the same plain HTTP API.
Already invited? Use the team link from your host — it takes you straight to your team terminal.