[meteorite-list] Angry Birds Space

[Ron Baalke]

March 8, 2012

Bob Jacobs / Joshua Buck 
Headquarters, Washington      
202-358-1600 / 1100 
bob.jacobs at nasa.gov / jbuck at nasa.gov 

Sini Matikainen 
Rovio Entertainment, Espoo, Finland 
+358400214526 
media at rovio.com 

RELEASE: 12-076

THE EPIC STUGGLE BETWEEN BIRDS AND PIGS MOVES TO SPACE WITH A NASA SCIENCE TWIST

WASHINGTON -- For nearly three years, millions of gamers have used 
physics in the battle between birds and pigs in the video game Angry 
Birds. In cooperation with NASA, Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, 
creator of the Angry Birds franchise, announced its newest game, 
"Angry Birds Space," on Thursday, March 8. NASA and Rovio are working 
together to teach people about physics and space exploration through 
the internationally successful puzzle game. 

Game developers have incorporated concepts of human space exploration 
into the new game. From the weightlessness of space to the gravity 
wells of nearby planets, players use physics as they explore the 
various levels of the game set both on planets and in microgravity. 

"This collaboration began with a simple Twitter exchange about birds 
and pigs in space, and it has grown into a tremendous outreach and 
education opportunity," said David Weaver, associate administrator 
for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Games are fun 
and entertaining, but they also can be inspirational and informative. 
This ongoing collaboration with Rovio and Angry Birds is an exciting 
way to get people engaged with NASA's missions of exploration and 
discovery, and get students energized about future careers in science 
and technology." 

Aboard the International Space Station, Flight Engineer Don Pettit of 
NASA created a video using Angry Birds Space to explain how physics 
works in space, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity 
by catapulting an Angry Bird through the space station. The video was 
shown this week to an audience at the South by Southwest Conferences 
and Festivals, an annual convention of original music, independent 
films, and emerging technologies in Austin, Texas. It is also 
available on NASA's website at http://www.nasa.gov. 

"We focused on every detail in development of Angry Birds Space to 
build a special experience for our fans," said Peter Vesterbacka, 
chief marketing officer and mighty eagle of Rovio Entertainment. "I 
believe we have succeeded well with the game, and we wanted to create 
something as unique around our launch events. NASA has been the 
perfect partner for our Angry Birds Space program, and we can't wait 
to work with them on creating more compelling educational 
experiences." 

For more information on microgravity, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/microgravity 

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/station 

For more information about Angry Birds Space, visit: 

http://www.angrybirds.com/space 
	
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