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

[Ron Baalke]

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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