NASA and Microsoft Allow Earthlings to Become Martians

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

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

News release: 2009-167 Nov. 17, 2009

NASA and Microsoft Allow Earthlings to Become Martians

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-167&cid=kintera_release_2009-167

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA and Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., have collaborated to create
a Web site where Internet users can have fun while advancing their knowledge of Mars.

Drawing on observations from NASA's Mars missions, the "Be a Martian" Web site will enable the
public to participate as citizen scientists to improve Martian maps, take part in research tasks, and
assist Mars science teams studying data about the Red Planet.

"We're at a point in history where everyone can be an explorer," said Doug McCuistion, director of
the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "With so much data coming
back from Mars missions that are accessible by all, exploring Mars has become a shared human
endeavor. People worldwide can expand the specialized efforts of a few hundred Mars mission team
members and make authentic contributions of their own."

Participants will be able to explore details of the solar system's grandest canyon, which resides on
Mars. Users can call up images in the Valles Marineris canyon before moving on to chart the entire
Red Planet. The collaboration of thousands of participants could assist scientists in producing far
better maps, enabling smoother zoom-in views and easier interpretation of Martian surface changes.

By counting craters, the public also may help scientists determine the relative ages of small regions on
Mars. In the past, counting Martian craters has posed a challenge because of the vast numbers
involved. By contributing, Web site users will win game points assigned to a robotic animal avatar
they select.

With a common goal of inspiring digital-age workforce development and life-long learning in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics, NASA and Microsoft unveiled the Web site at the
Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles this week. The site also beckons
software developers to win prizes for creating tools that provide access to and analysis of hundreds of
thousands of Mars images for online, classroom and Mars mission team use.

"Industry leaders like NASA and Microsoft have a social responsibility as well as a vested interest in
advancing science and technology education," said Walid Abu-Hadba, corporate vice president of the
Developer and Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft. "We are excited to be working with NASA
to provide new opportunities to engage with Mars mission data, and to help spark interest and
excitement among the next generation of scientists and technologists."

To encourage more public participation, the site also provides a virtual town hall forum where users
can expand their knowledge by proposing Mars questions and voting on which are the most
interesting to the community. Online talks by Mars experts will address some of the submitted
questions. Other features include interactive tools for viewing Martian regions and movies about
people who study Mars in diverse ways.

"Mars exploration inspires people of all ages, and we are especially eager to encourage young people
to explore Mars for themselves," said Charles Elachi, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif. "We are delighted to be involved in providing the creative opportunity for future
explorers to contribute to our understanding of Mars."

"The beauty of this type of experience is that it not only teaches people about Mars and the work
NASA is doing there, but it also engages large groups of people to help solve real challenges that
computers cannot solve by themselves," said Marc Mercuri, director of business innovation in the
Developer and Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft.

The Mars Exploration Program is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in
Washington.

To enroll as a virtual Martian citizen and start exploring, visit http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov . For
more exploration on NASA's Mars exploration program, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mars .

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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