Escape room: The Stranded Space Station
A space escape room for kids and classes: answer accurate questions about the Sun and the planets and restart the station’s navigation.
The story
The space station has lost contact with Earth. The crew must restart the navigation system before the orbit drifts.
3 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- A poster or drawing of the solar system
- “Mission Control” message notes
- A torch
- An envelope with the navigation code
Tips for the facilitator
- Darken the room and use a torch to read the messages.
- Put up a drawing of the solar system; it helps with the counting stage.
- Tell the kids Pluto was “demoted” in 2006; they love that fact.
Difficulty level for “The Stranded Space Station”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
🚀 The Stranded Space Station
The space station has lost contact with Earth. The crew must restart the navigation system before the orbit drifts.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: The nearest star
1/6The panel flashes: “The first key is the star nearest to Earth, the one that lights up our sky every day.”
Facilitator guide: 🚀 The Stranded Space Station
What the room practises
Solar-system facts, counting letters and adding.
The 3 stations (without the answers)
- The nearest star: Which star is it?
- Counting the planets: How many planets are in the solar system?
- The navigation code: What is the code?
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: a poster or drawing of the solar system and an envelope with the navigation code.
Most important: Darken the room and use a torch to read the messages.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 3–5 children. In a class or a big party, print a kit per team and run the room in parallel.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Stranded Space Station” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for kids and tweens, at easy–medium difficulty, and usually takes 15–20 minutes. It has 3 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Stranded Space Station”?
A printer and these props: A poster or drawing of the solar system; “Mission Control” message notes; A torch; An envelope with the navigation code. The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
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