NASA Experience Curiosity simulates Mars with real data

NASA is always out to get the public interested in space exploration and checking out other planets. Not too long ago NASA rolled out Mars Trek, a website that lets space fans explore some of the Red planet using data gathered from various spacecraft on and around Mars. NASA has now announced the Experience Curiosity tool.

Experience Curiosity allows viewers to journey along with Curiosity on its Martian expeditions. The program simulates Mars in 3D using real data gathered from the Curiosity rover and MRO in orbit around the planet.

The idea behind the tool is to let people on Earth see what a day in the life of Curiosity is like. NASA also has a team using Mars Trek to help find potential landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover. Mars Trek will also be used to help select landing sites for human exploration of Mars in the 2030s.

Experience Curiosity also allows users to manipulate rover tools and view Mars through the rover's cameras. The entire Experience Curiosity system is made using real science data to build a realistic and game-ready rover model. NASA has been exploring Mars for 50 years with robotic devices, one of the older explorers is the Viking 2 placed on the Red Planet on August 7, 1976.

SOURCE: NASA