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

WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA and Microsoft Corp.
announced Tuesday plans to make planetary images and data available via the
Internet under a Space Act Agreement. Through this project, NASA and Microsoft
jointly will 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/20081007/38461LOGO)

"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 of data, enough to fill
20,000 DVDs. WorldWide Telescope will incorporate the data later in 2009 and
feature imagery from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, known as 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 in Redmond, Wash. "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, or LRO, when publicly released starting this fall. 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 in
Florida. 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 Chris C. Kemp, chief information officer at Ames. "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

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

SOURCE NASA

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