Epic Struggle Between Birds And Pigs Goes On With A Martian Twist

J.D. Harrington / Bert Ulrich

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-5241/1713

j.d.harrington@nasa.gov / bert.ulrich@nasa.gov

 

Sini Matikainen

Rovio Entertainment, Espoo, Finland

+358400214526

sini.matikainen@rovio.com

WASHINGTON -- NASA is helping pigs and birds explore the Martian terrain and shed light on the agency's missions to the Red Planet in the latest update to the game Angry Birds Space. Rovio Entertainment, creator of Angry Birds, announced the update Thursday, complete with a cast of agency rovers and landers.

Earlier this year, millions of gamers were introduced to concepts of microgravity in Angry Birds Space, which was supported through a partnership with NASA and includes links to a variety of education information.

"Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration," said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way."

NASA participated with Rovio on Angry Birds Space under a Space Act Agreement to share the excitement of space with the Angry Birds community, educate players about agency projects and programs, and collaboratively create interactive informational experiences for the public.

The game will include links to NASA web content about Mars exploration and NASA missions that are represented in the game. The content can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/redplanet/.

"We're huge NASA fans, and we were all cheering the Mars Curiosity rover as it touched down," said Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of Rovio Entertainment. "So, working together on the Mars update was a perfect fit, especially since we got such an amazing response to our previous collaboration, the 'Angry Birds Space: NASA announcement' video, which quickly surged to the top of 2012's viral video charts. We're thrilled to continue working with NASA. Stay tuned for even more great fun and educational content coming up."

For more information about NASA's Curiosity rover and Mars exploration, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mars.

For more about NASA's other missions and projects, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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New NASA Game Lets Players Build and Launch a Virtual Rocket

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                          

202-358-1100

jbuck@nasa.gov

 

George Diller

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

321-867-2468

george.h.diller@nasa.gov

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Rocket Science 101, a new game designed for computers and iPad users, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to launch a spacecraft.

NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, provides access to space for the studies of Earth and exploration of our solar system and the universe. Now, LSP is turning over the virtual selection, construction and launch of a mission to players who will decide the best rocket to assemble to launch a spacecraft. Rocket scientists in LSP do the same thing for real rockets and missions every day.

Players select their favorite NASA mission and choose from three skill levels for building a rocket to send the spacecraft into orbit. The Rocket Science 101 challenge provides players an opportunity to learn about NASA missions and the various components of the launch vehicles, including how rockets are configured and how they work together to successfully launch a spacecraft.

LSP managers, engineers and other specialists match spacecraft with the right rocket to carry out real-life missions, a process often done years ahead of a launch. As liftoff nears, teams oversee the launch vehicle's engineering and manufacturing, including its integration with the spacecraft. LSP conducts the countdowns for NASA's scientific missions and provides additional quality assurance along with other controls to ensure a successful mission.

The application was developed by the Kennedy Information Technology Mobile Team in conjunction with LSP. Rocket Science 101 is available for iPad users via iTunes at http://bit.ly/Mn1xLr.

Rocket Science 101 is available online at http://go.nasa.gov/Mn28Nt.

To learn more about LSP, rockets and NASA missions visit http://go.nasa.gov/yg4U1J.

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NATO Harbour Protection

By Sgt. Tony Brazier, AFN Livorno

This isn’t your kid’s video game! Service members from around the world visit the NATO Undersea Research Center in La Spezia, Italy, where gaming systems, and their consequences, are taken very seriously.  Check this out:

The Epic Struggle Between Birds and Pigs Moves to Space with a NASA Science Twist

Bob Jacobs / Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Sini Matikainen

Rovio Entertainment, Espoo, Finland

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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NASA Releases Sector 33 Air Traffic Control Educational Game App

Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington

WASHINGTON -- NASA has released a new educational game with an air traffic control theme for Apple iPhone and iPad devices. The Sector 33 application is designed to challenge students in middle school and above to use basic math and problem-solving skills.

The application may be downloaded free of charge at http://www.nasa.gov/sector33.

An Android version of the app is in development and will be made available in the Android Marketplace in the coming months.

In the game the player acts as an air traffic controller guiding airplanes through a sector of airspace spanning Nevada and California. The player can adjust the planes' path and speed to safely reach certain spots in the sky in the fastest time possible while keeping the planes a specific distance from each other.

"Our hope is that Sector 33 will give students a sense of the importance of math in managing our nation's air traffic and, at the same time, interest them in pursuing a career in aeronautics," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research in Washington.

The math-focused game also aligns with the NASA Office of Education's mission to engage students in activities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"Today's students respond positively to experiential learning," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education. "Using an interactive game to spark their interest, while at the same time teaching them fundamental math concepts, is a win-win scenario. It is a perfect way to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and technologists."

Sector 33 is based on Smart Skies Line Up With Math, an educational software title developed under the direction of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and distributed in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Smart Skies has been used in middle school classrooms across the United States since 2005.

For more information about aeronautics research at NASA, visit http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov.

For more information about NASA's education programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education.

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NASA Releases First Multi-Player Facebook Game

Brian Dunbar
Headquarters, Washington

WASHINGTON -- NASA has launched its first multi-player online game to test players' knowledge of the space program. Who was the first American to walk in space? Who launched the first liquid-fueled rocket? These are only a few of the questions players can answer in Space Race Blastoff.

Available on Facebook, Space Race Blastoff tests players' knowledge of NASA history, technology, science and pop culture. Players who correctly answer questions earn virtual badges depicting NASA astronauts, spacecraft and celestial objects. Players also earn points they can use to obtain additional badges to complete sets and earn premium badges.

"Space Race Blastoff opens NASA's history and research to a wide new audience of people accustomed to using social media," said David Weaver, NASA's associate administrator for communications. "Space experts and novices will learn new things about how exploration continues to impact our world."

NASA chose to make the game available through Facebook to take advantage of the social media site's large audience and enable players to compete against others. Individuals also can play solo games.

Once in the game, players choose an avatar and answer 10 multiple-choice questions. Each correct answer earns 100 points, with a 20-point bonus to the player who answers first. The winner advances to the bonus round to answer one additional question for more points.

Correctly answering the bonus question earns the player a badge.

Space Race Blastoff was developed by Scott Hanger, Todd Powell and Jamie Noguchi of NASA's Internet Services Group in the Office of Communications. Play the game now at http://apps.facebook.com/spacerace.

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