[meteorite-list] NASA and Microsoft to Make Universe of Data Available to the Public

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:58:29 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200903242358.QAA26384_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

March 24, 2009

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

Rachel Prucey
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-0643
rachel.l.prucey at nasa.gov

Julie Woodbury/Rapid Response Team
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide for Microsoft
503- 443-7000/7070
juliew at waggeneredstrom.com, rrt at waggeneredstrom.com

RELEASE: 09-067

NASA AND MICROSOFT TO MAKE UNIVERSE OF DATA AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC

WASHINGTON -- NASA and Microsoft Corp. announced Tuesday plans to make
planetary images and data available via the Internet under a Space
Act Agreement. Through this project, NASA and Microsoft jointly will
develop the technology and infrastructure necessary to make the most
interesting NASA content -- including high-resolution scientific
images and data from Mars and the moon -- explorable on WorldWide
Telescope, Microsoft's online virtual telescope for exploring the
universe.

"Making NASA's scientific and astronomical data more accessible to the
public is a high priority for NASA, especially given the new
administration's recent emphasis on open government and
transparency," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's
Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Under the joint agreement, NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett
Field, Calif., will process and host more than 100 terabytes of data,
enough to fill 20,000 DVDs. WorldWide Telescope will incorporate the
data later in 2009 and feature imagery from NASA's Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter, known as MRO. Launched in August 2005, MRO
has been examining Mars with a high-resolution camera and five other
instruments since 2006 and has returned more data than all other Mars
missions combined.

"This collaboration between Microsoft and NASA will enable people
around the world to explore new images of the moon and Mars in a
rich, interactive environment through the WorldWide Telescope," said
Tony Hey, corporate vice president of Microsoft External Research in
Redmond, Wash. "WorldWide Telescope serves as a powerful tool for
computer science researchers, educators and students to explore space
and experience the excitement of computer science."

Also available will be images from a camera aboard NASA's Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, when publicly released starting this
fall. Scheduled to launch this May, LRO will spend at least a year in
a low, polar orbit approximately 30 miles above the lunar surface
collecting detailed information about the lunar environment.

"NASA is excited to collaborate with Microsoft to share its portfolio
of planetary images with students and lifelong learners," said S.
Pete Worden, director of Ames. "This is a compelling astronomical
resource and will help inspire our next generation of astronomers."

This agreement builds on a prior collaboration with Microsoft that
enabled NASA to develop 3-D interactive Microsoft Photosynth
collections of the space shuttle launch pad and other facilities at
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The images featured on
Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope will supplement existing imagery and
data available on NASA's Web site, the Planetary Data System and
other sources.

The WorldWide Telescope is a Web 2.0 visualization environment that
functions as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from
ground- and space-based telescopes for a seamless, rich media guided
exploration of the universe. Through WorldWide Telescope and
Microsoft technology, people will be able to pan and zoom in on these
images and the most interesting locations on Mars and the moon
without distorted views at the poles.

Attracting millions of users since its release last spring, WorldWide
Telescope provides a base for teaching astronomy, scientific
discovery and computational science. Tours with narration, music,
text and graphics create interactive learning experiences that allow
people to search, explore and discover the universe in a new and
unique manner. Additional information and a free download of
WorldWide Telescope can be found at:

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org

To further integrate the planetary data into WorldWide Telescope, Ames
is developing a suite of planetary data processing tools. These
software tools convert historic and current space imagery data into a
variety of formats and images of the moon, Mars and other planetary
bodies readily available for easy browsing and use by the general
public, enabling the creation of enhanced educational tools for
students and teachers.

"NASA has a wealth of images and data, from the Apollo and Lunar
Orbiter missions to Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mercury
Messenger flybys," said Chris C. Kemp, chief information officer at
Ames. "This collaboration makes it possible for NASA to leverage
exciting new Microsoft technologies to make NASA's data -- and
America's space program -- more accessible to the public."

More information about NASA is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov

Microsoft Research collaborates openly with colleges and universities
worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspire
technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of computer
science. More information can be found at:

http://research.microsoft.com
        
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Received on Tue 24 Mar 2009 07:58:29 PM PDT