Digital Technology Merit Badge
How This Project Helps You Earn This Badge
This IS a Digital Technology Project!
You're experiencing digital technology right now! This website demonstrates how text, images, and interactive features are created, stored, and delivered through the internet.
🌐 Requirement 3c: Create Digital Content
Official Requirement (Option 7):
"Create a Web page for your troop, patrol, school, or place of worship. Include at least three articles and two photographs or illustrations. Include at least one link to a website of interest to your audience."
✅ How This Project Helps:
🎯 This Project IS a Complete Website!
The Apollo 13 Interactive Experience exceeds the requirement by providing a fully functional website with:
Requirement: 3 minimum
29 mission slides + 1 merit badge resource
Requirement: 2 minimum
NASA photos, diagrams, mission patch
Requirement: 1 minimum
GitHub, NASA resources, navigation
📚 Learning Resource: Website Structure
Explore how this website is organized:
📄 index.html - Landing page with mission overview
📄 timeline.html - Navigation to all 30 slides
📄 slides/01-launch.html through 30-merit-badges.html
📖 9 narrative slides (story of Apollo 13)
🎯 10 decision slides (interactive choices)
📊 10 info slides (technical deep dives)
🏕️ 1 merit badge resource
📂 assets/images/ - 25+ NASA photos and illustrations
🖼️ Mission patch, crew photos, spacecraft diagrams
🎨 Merit badge images
🔗 GitHub repository (view source code)
🔗 Navigation between all 30 slides
🔗 External NASA resources
💡 Create Your Own Version!
You can fulfill Requirement 3c by creating your own website based on this project:
- Download this project from GitHub
- Modify it for YOUR troop/patrol (change content, photos, theme)
- Add 3+ articles about your troop's activities or history
- Add 2+ photos from campouts or events
- Include links to your troop website or Scouting resources
- Show your counselor the finished website
🔒 Requirement 4a: Intellectual Property
Official Requirement:
"Explain to your counselor each of these protections and why they exist: copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets."
✅ How This Project Helps:
This Project Demonstrates Copyright Protection
The Apollo 13 project includes a copyright notice and MIT License, which is a form of copyright protection. Let's learn about all four types:
| Protection Type | What It Protects | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Creative works (code, writing, art, music) | This website's code (MIT License) |
| Patents | Inventions and processes | NASA's CO₂ scrubber design |
| Trademarks | Brand names, logos, symbols | NASA logo, Apollo mission patch |
| Trade Secrets | Confidential business information | Coca-Cola recipe formula |
🔍 Why Do These Protections Exist?
- Encourage Innovation: People create new things because their work is protected
- Reward Creators: Inventors and artists can profit from their work
- Public Benefit: After copyright/patent expires, everyone can use it
- Quality Control: Trademarks help you know you're getting the real product
Discussion Point: Why did we choose the MIT License (open source copyright) instead of keeping the code private?
📜 Requirement 4b: Accepting Free Software
Official Requirement:
"Explain when it is permissible to accept a free copy of a program from a friend."
✅ How This Project Helps:
This Project Shows When Sharing IS Allowed!
The MIT License explicitly allows you to share this project with friends. But not all software works this way!
- Open Source Software (like this project with MIT License)
- Freeware explicitly marked "free to distribute"
- Public Domain software with no copyright
- Shareware in its trial period
- Commercial Software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop)
- Cracked/Pirated Software (illegal copies)
- License-Restricted Freeware ("free for personal use only")
- Software from Unauthorized Sources
📚 Learning Resource: How to Check
Before accepting free software from a friend, always check:
- Read the LICENSE file (like our MIT License)
- Look for "free to distribute" or similar wording
- Check the software's official website for terms
- When in doubt, DON'T accept it - ask a parent or counselor
Pro Tip: Open source software (like this project) is ALWAYS okay to share because the license explicitly grants that right!
🌐 Ready to Explore?
Experience the Apollo 13 website, examine its structure, and learn how digital content is created and protected!
💬 Discussion Points for Your Counselor
- How does this website meet the requirements for creating digital content (3+ articles, 2+ images, 1+ link)?
- What's the difference between copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets?
- Why is it okay to share this Apollo 13 project with friends, but not okay to share Microsoft Office?
- What does the MIT License allow people to do with this code?
- How could you modify this project to create a website for your own troop?