NASA and Microsoft to Make Universe of Data Available to the Public

Exciting new images of the moon and Mars from NASA's orbiting observatories
will enable users of all ages to explore the universe through the Microsoft
WorldWide Telescope.

WASHINGTON and REDMOND, Wash., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NASA and
Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to make planetary images and data
available via the Internet under a Space Act Agreement. Through this project,
NASA and Microsoft will jointly develop the technology and infrastructure
necessary to make the most interesting NASA content -- including
high-resolution scientific images and data from Mars and the moon --
explorable on WorldWide Telescope, Microsoft's online virtual telescope for
exploring the universe.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"Making NASA's scientific and astronomical data more accessible to the public
is a high priority for NASA, especially given the new administration's recent
emphasis on open government and transparency," said Ed Weiler, associate
administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Under the joint agreement, NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field,
Calif., will process and host more than 100 terabytes, or 20,000 DVDs of data.
WorldWide Telescope will incorporate the data later in 2009 and feature
imagery from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Launched in August
2005, MRO has been examining Mars with a high-resolution camera and five other
instruments since 2006 and has returned more data than all other Mars missions
combined.

"This collaboration between Microsoft and NASA will enable people around the
world to explore new images of the moon and Mars in a rich, interactive
environment through the WorldWide Telescope," said Tony Hey, corporate vice
president of Microsoft External Research. "WorldWide Telescope serves as a
powerful tool for computer science researchers, educators and students to
explore space and experience the excitement of computer science."

Also available will be images from a camera aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter (LRO). Scheduled to launch this May, LRO will spend at least a year in
a low, polar orbit approximately 30 miles above the lunar surface collecting
detailed information about the lunar environment.

"NASA is excited to collaborate with Microsoft to share its portfolio of
planetary images with students and lifelong learners," said S. Pete Worden,
director of Ames. "This is a compelling astronomical resource and will help
inspire our next generation of astronomers."

This agreement builds on a prior collaboration with Microsoft that enabled
NASA to develop 3-D interactive Microsoft Photosynth collections of the space
shuttle launch pad and other facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center last
year. The images featured on Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope will supplement
existing imagery and data available on NASA's Web site, the Planetary Data
System and other sources.

The WorldWide Telescope is a Web 2.0 visualization environment that functions
as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from ground- and space-based
telescopes for a seamless, rich media guided exploration of the universe.
Through WorldWide Telescope and Microsoft technology, people will be able to
pan and zoom in on these images and the most interesting locations on Mars and
the moon without distorted views at the poles.

Attracting millions of users since its release last spring, WorldWide
Telescope provides a base for teaching astronomy, scientific discovery and
computational science. Tours with narration, music, text and graphics create
interactive learning experiences that allow people to search, explore and
discover the universe in a new and unique manner. Additional information and a
free download of WorldWide Telescope can be found at
http://www.worldwidetelescope.org.

To further integrate the planetary data into WorldWide Telescope, Ames is
developing a suite of planetary data processing tools. These software tools
convert historic and current space imagery data into a variety of formats and
images of the moon, Mars and other planetary bodies readily available for easy
browsing and use by the general public, enabling the creation of enhanced
educational tools for students and teachers.

"NASA has a wealth of images and data, from the Apollo and Lunar Orbiter
missions to Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mercury Messenger flybys,"
said NASA Ames Chief Information Officer Chris C. Kemp. "This collaboration
makes it possible for NASA to leverage exciting new Microsoft technologies to
make NASA's data -- and America's space program -- more accessible to the
public."

More information about NASA is available at http://www.nasa.gov.

About Microsoft Research
Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and
applied research in computer science and software engineering. Its goals are
to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of
writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing technologies.
Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and collaborate with
leading academic, government and industry researchers to advance the state of
the art in such areas as graphics, speech recognition, user-interface
research, natural language processing, programming tools and methodologies,
operating systems and networking, and the mathematical sciences. Microsoft
Research currently employs more than 850 people in six labs located in
Redmond, Wash.; Cambridge, Mass.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England;
Beijing, China; and Bangalore, India. Microsoft Research collaborates openly
with colleges and universities worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning
experience, inspire technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of
computer science. More information can be found at
http://research.microsoft.com.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Dwayne Brown, NASA Headquarters, Washington, +1-202-358-1726,
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov, or Michael Mewhinney, NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, Calif., +1-650-604-3937, Michael.S.Mewhinney@nasa.gov, or
Rachel Prucey, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.,
+1-650-604-0643, rachel.l.prucey@nasa.gov; or Julie Woodbury, +1-503-443-7000,
juliew@waggeneredstrom.com, or Rapid Response Team, +1-503-443-7070,
rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, both of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, for Microsoft
Corp.