Environment

NASA Investigates Using MMORPG's To Teach

by Rob Walker | January 18, 2008 at 11:01 am

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Well this would be an interesting twist for current Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, better known as MMORPG's.

NASA is looking into designing their own virtual environment to help simulate real NASA missions for students.

The virtual world would be aimed at students and would "simulate real Nasa engineering and science missions".

The agency has published a "request for information" (RFI) from organisations interested in developing the platform.

Nasa believe the game would help find the next generation of scientists and engineers needed to fulfil its "vision for space exploration".

"A high quality synthetic gaming environment is a vital element of Nasa's educational cyberstructure," the RFI reads.

"The MMO will foster career exploration opportunities in a much deeper way than reading alone would permit and at a fraction of the time and cost of an internship program."

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Elizabeth Stenger

at 14:58 on January 18th, 2008

I have lived in Florida since 1983. I have seen many a shuttle launch from the Glory of missions that made it to actually eye witnessing the Challenger explode with a teacher aboard. I have been to Kennedy Space Center and seen to old terminal room at NASA and have also participated with The Planetary Society which launched the probe to Mars. I honesty feel space is the most important frontier our world can take. I have emphasized it so much to my family my youngest son has designed star ships since he was 8 years old and now is beginning to build his designs in Second Life. I have many more photos to offer taken before my digital camera so I guess I'll go scan them in. It's great to see virtual worlds open themselves to space flight and simulation. I am in full support of seeing this develop.

Elizabeth Stenger has contributed a photo to this story.

Zee Pixel

at 19:00 on January 18th, 2008

Things like this are already happening in the online virtual world of Second Life. Some of the content is even user created such as this 3-D topographical model of the Earth developed from the Blue Marble Earth data. This model features two days of real-time cloud data updated every three hours.

Zee Pixel has contributed a photo to this story.

janet.powell

at 08:17 on January 23rd, 2008

Virtually witnessing a live shuttle launch at the International Spaceflight Museum viewing area in Second Life is an incredible experience... "The next best thing to being there!"

janet.powell has contributed a photo to this story.