Dec 8 2010
From The Space Library
RELEASE: 10-163
NASA AND MICROSOFT PROVIDE MARS 3-D CLOSE ENCOUNTER
WASHINGTON -- NASA and Microsoft Research are bringing Mars to life with new features in the WorldWide Telescope software that provide viewers with a high-resolution 3-D map of the Red Planet. Microsoft's online virtual telescope explores the universe using images NASA spacecraft return from other worlds. Teams at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., and Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., jointly developed the software necessary to make NASA's planetary data available in WorldWide Telescope. "By providing the Mars dataset to the public on the WorldWide Telescope platform, we are enabling a whole new audience to experience the thrill of space, said Chris C. Kemp, chief technology officer for information technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The fully-interactive images and new NASA data will allow viewers to virtually explore Mars and make their own scientific discoveries. New features include the highest resolution fully interactive map of Mars ever created, realistic 3-D renderings of the surface of the planet and video tours with two NASA scientists, James Garvin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Carol Stoker of Ames. Garvin's tour walks viewers through the geological history of Mars and discusses three possible landing sites for human missions there. Each landing site highlights a different geological era of the planet. Stoker's tour addresses the question Is there life on Mars? and describes the findings of NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander. "Our hope is that this inspires the next generation of explorers to continue the scientific discovery process, said Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden. The Intelligent Robotics Group at Ames Research Center developed open source software that runs on the NASA Nebula cloud computing platform to create and host the high resolution maps. The maps contain 74,000 images from Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera and more than 13,000 high-resolution images of Mars taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. Each individual HiRISE image contains more than a billion pixels. The complete maps were rendered into image mosaics containing more than half a billion smaller images. "These incredibly detailed maps will enable the public to better experience and explore Mars, said Michael Broxton, a research scientist in the Intelligent Robotics Group at Ames. The collaborative relationship between NASA and Microsoft Research was instrumental for creating the software that brings these new Mars images into people's hands, classrooms and living rooms. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reached the planet in 2006 to begin a two-year primary science mission. The mission has returned more data about Mars than all other spacecraft sent to the Red Planet. The Global Surveyor began orbiting Mars in 1997. The spacecraft operated longer than any other Mars spacecraft, ceasing operations in November 2006. "Microsoft has a long-standing relationship with NASA that has enabled us to jointly provide the public with the ability to discover space in a new way, said Tony Hey, corporate vice president of the External Research Division of Microsoft Research. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages MRO for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona and was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego provided and operated the Mars Orbiter Camera. To learn more and download the WorldWide Telescope, visit: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-010
QUESTIONING SPACE -- LOS ANGELES STUDENTS CONNECT WITH AND QUERY ORBITING SPACE STATION ASTRONAUTS
WASHINGTON -- Elementary students at Vintage Math, Science and Technology Magnet School in Los Angeles will get to ask questions of astronauts aboard the International Space station while the crew orbits 220 miles above Earth. Station Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers T.J. Creamer and Soichi Noguchi will speak with the students during a video call from 8:35 a.m. to 8:55 a.m. PST on Wednesday, Jan. 27. In 2007, Vintage was selected as a NASA Explorer School. Explorer Schools develop and implement three-year action plans to address local challenges in science, technology, and mathematics education. The goal is to bring educators, administrators, students, and families together in sustained involvement with NASA's education programs. Students have been preparing for the event by participating in NASA Digital Learning Network events and hosting a NASA Community Night. Students also participated in an Ask an Astronaut contest to develop the best questions to ask during the event, presenting their suggestions to a panel of students, scientists and administrators who helped choose the winning questions. Following the event, students will construct a space station model that will be displayed in the auditorium to commemorate the event. The event is part of a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space Project. The project promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the kindergarten through 12th grade education community using the unique environment of human spaceflight. NASA Television will air video of Williams, Creamer and Noguchi during the downlink. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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