astroQ Ecosystem
How Does the Purple Meteors Reward System on astroQ.org Work?
Purple Meteors are the single reward currency on astroQ.org. Learners earn them by answering quiz questions correctly, finishing a library article or collecting them inside mini-games, then spend them on game entry fees and unlocking new content. Everyone starts from zero.
The design rule: learn first, reward after
The most important point: Purple Meteors cannot be bought with money. The only way to get them is to learn. That keeps the number in your wallet an honest reflection of effort, not of what a family can afford.
Every new account starts at zero. The first few quiz questions are your first income.
Where you earn and where you spend
| Activity | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Passing a quiz round | Earn | The main source. You need at least 60% correct to earn |
| Finishing an article in the Discovery Corner | No reward | Tracks your reading progress, but pays nothing |
| Collecting inside a mini-game | Earn | Catch the purple meteors falling in the level |
| Starting a mini-game run | Spend | Charged every run, including replays |
| Ship upgrades, unlocking planets | Spend | Content that opens up as you progress |
Why charge for playing games?
This is deliberate. If mini-games were unlimited and free, children would play and skip the learning. Charging a small fee per run creates the loop: learn → earn → play → want to learn more. The game becomes the reward rather than a replacement for the lesson.
When the balance runs low the system does not hard-block anyone; it points the way back to the Knowledge Station to earn more.
A starter gift for new accounts
Every new account receives 100 starter Purple Meteors — enough to try the mini-games immediately instead of building up from scratch.
astroQ Explorer Corner
Honest advice: do not spend it all on your first run. Save a little and you will unlock a planet even I have never landed on.
A small statistic from me: the most reliable way to earn Purple Meteors is not being good at games — it is reading carefully before taking the quiz. One article usually converts into several correct answers.
References
The links above point to public material from NASA, ESA and MIT. The article text is written by the astroQ.org team for beginners and is not a verbatim reproduction. astroQ.org is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by these organisations.
Create an account to get 100 starter Purple Meteors.
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