After a long wait, much anticipation, and a summer break, the moment finally arrived at the end of September 2025: The MC Galaxy Portal in Vienna’s Prater opened its doors for the first time!
The AR installation, which can be viewed and listened to on a smartphone using a QR code located above the roof of the Extasy ride, was conceived and designed during the 2024/25 school year by the Planet Hunters of Mission Control with the support of artists as part of “Mission Prater.” During visits to the Prater, Mission Control first gathered impressions, which they documented in the form of photos and audio recordings. From this, a creative process gave rise to the idea for an AR portal, which was eventually named the MC Galaxy Portal. The young people took on the creative design of the portal themselves, and they also recorded the narration for the portal’s story at the TMW sound studio. Two AR artists handled the programming. It was pretty exciting to follow the creation of an AR object step by step!
Mission Control was finally able to view the finished AR installation at the very location that inspired itthe Extasy in the Prater. Did everything turn out the way the Planet Hunters envisioned their work? Yes, the implementation was a success! With plenty of praise and applause, everyone involved congratulated one another on this successful collaboration and on the great year that had passed. Thank you for participating!
