Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond
Encyclopedia
Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond is the title of a massively multiplayer online game
(MMO) which , is being developed by NASA
with Project Whitecard Inc., WisdomTools Enterprises and the Virtual Heroes division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. The game world will be set in the future (2035 or later), with the ability to explore planned and possible near-future moon missions, which is facilitated by the use of NASA Learning Technologies, and Innovative Partnerships programs.
Other NASA Learning Technologies programs include Second Life
's MOONWORLD http://moonworld.cet.edu/ and Moonbase Alpha http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/ltp/games/moonbasealpha/index.html on the STEAM network, as well as a few others on different platforms going all the way back to the original Nintendo
NES system of the 1980s.
On May 31, 2011, the Second Life
avatar Denzen Mimulus, in an attempt to generate interest in this NASA endeavor, listed three digi-tix for a tour of the existing NASA MOONWORLD sim on Second Life for L$12.5 million, making these tickets the most expensive item on the SL Marketplace at the time. This amount is roughly equal to the pre-funding requirements of the NASA MMO. The purchase price of these tickets would be donated in the name of the purchaser to the NASA MMO Kickstarter
program with the remainder (less fees, etc) returned to the purchaser.https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/denzenOmni-SPACEPRIZE-Envelope/2322569
In October, 2011, the Kickstarter pre-funding drive is scheduled to end. The goal is $25,000.00 to prove some commercial viability.http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1763206385/astronaut-moon-mars-and-beyond-the-nasa-mmo-online
.
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
(MMO) which , is being developed by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
with Project Whitecard Inc., WisdomTools Enterprises and the Virtual Heroes division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. The game world will be set in the future (2035 or later), with the ability to explore planned and possible near-future moon missions, which is facilitated by the use of NASA Learning Technologies, and Innovative Partnerships programs.
Other NASA Learning Technologies programs include Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
's MOONWORLD http://moonworld.cet.edu/ and Moonbase Alpha http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/ltp/games/moonbasealpha/index.html on the STEAM network, as well as a few others on different platforms going all the way back to the original Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
NES system of the 1980s.
Development timeline
November 25, 2009 was the "pre-development start" date for the project.On May 31, 2011, the Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
avatar Denzen Mimulus, in an attempt to generate interest in this NASA endeavor, listed three digi-tix for a tour of the existing NASA MOONWORLD sim on Second Life for L$12.5 million, making these tickets the most expensive item on the SL Marketplace at the time. This amount is roughly equal to the pre-funding requirements of the NASA MMO. The purchase price of these tickets would be donated in the name of the purchaser to the NASA MMO Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
program with the remainder (less fees, etc) returned to the purchaser.https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/denzenOmni-SPACEPRIZE-Envelope/2322569
In October, 2011, the Kickstarter pre-funding drive is scheduled to end. The goal is $25,000.00 to prove some commercial viability.http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1763206385/astronaut-moon-mars-and-beyond-the-nasa-mmo-online
Justification
The game is being developed because the belief in games used as educational tools is gaining recognition, and NASA is in a position to develop an online game that functions as a persistent, synthetic environment supporting education as a laboratory. It is the same reason pilots train with flight simulatorsFlight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
.