NASA considering making a virtual world
There are all kinds of virtual worlds these days: Those for kids, for adults, centered around fantasy battles, and even those centered on space.
But no one has a better hold on space than NASA, and that agency is now considering creating its own virtual world, according to the BBC.
"The virtual world would be aimed at students and would 'simulate real NASA engineering and science missions,'" the BBC wrote, adding that the space agency has put out requests for vendors interested in producing the virtual world.
The idea behind the so-called massively multiplayer online game would be to help train future scientists and foster a broader interest in space among students.
Already, NASA has a presence on an island in Second Life.
"We at NASA are working hard to create opportunities for what I might call participatory exploration," the BBC quoted the director of the project, Simon Worden, as saying. "We are looking at how this island can be a portal for all to fly along on space missions."
Daniel Terdiman is a staff writer at CNET News covering games, Net culture, and everything in between. E-mail Daniel. 
Star Date: .............
Warp (5) Engines Are Now Online - Go For Launch...
To Boldly Go.........
Live Long And Prosper...........
Spock
Star Date: .............
Warp (5) Engines Are Now Online - Go For Launch...
To Boldly Go.........
Live Long And Prosper...........
Spock
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Look where thought go you.
NASA should consider participating in a kind of a mashup. Google Earth is (partly at least) going to be a VR/gaming environment anyway, eventually. The Google Earth environment can easily be extended to contain popular astronomy software data and features, like the proper position and dimensions of other celestial bodies. Even lightspeed lag and even gravitational disturbances in spacetime could be simulated.
For the 'gameplay', the physics and the sense of reality in Orbiter is the best currently available, despite the fact that sound and graphics are rather poor regarding nowadays standards and the controls are just horrible.
Personally I welcome the initiative very much.
For those who don't know Orbiter, just give it a try. Don't mind the difficult controls, just run one of the scripts. A simple shuttle launch as a passenger for instance is just marvelous. Sit back and enjoy.
- NASA....
- by Commander_Spock January 18, 2008 5:07 PM PST
- ... should take over the development of OS/2 from IBM and be the Central Control/Command for the development of the "WARP 6" and subsequent Kernels Versions. One World - Mankind. :-) !
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