{"id":61012,"date":"2020-09-14T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-464298"},"modified":"2023-07-27T12:17:21","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T16:17:21","slug":"planets-take-virtual-shape-on-earth-with-nasa-knowledge-and-imagery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/tech-transfer-spinoffs\/planets-take-virtual-shape-on-earth-with-nasa-knowledge-and-imagery\/","title":{"rendered":"Planets Take Virtual Shape on Earth with NASA Knowledge and Imagery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a time of quarantines and online learning, guided strolls along the surface of Mars are especially appealing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tours are possible with <a href=\"http:\/\/accessmars.withgoogle.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Access Mars<\/a>, a free virtual reality experience of the Red Planet, with interactive landmarks and narration by a NASA scientist,<i> <\/i>using the Planetary Data System (PDS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pds.nasa.gov\/home\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/pds.nasa.gov\/home\/about\/\" rel=\"noopener\">PDS<\/a> is a long-term archive of digital data products returned from NASA\u2019s planetary missions, actively managed by its scientists for the worldwide planetary science community. While all archived products are free and available on-line, PDS also provides a variety of tools useful in producing, obtaining and using archived data.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Curiosity Mars Rover\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PLTiv_XWHnOZqsp7on1ErHOTweF5eHzOTt\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When NASA scientists want to follow the path of the Curiosity rover on Mars, they can don a mixed-reality headset and virtually explore the Martian landscape. Now everyone can get a sense of what that looks and feels like by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/g.co\/accessmars\">https:\/\/g.co\/accessmars<\/a> . NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, collaborated with Google to produce “Access Mars,” a free immersive experience. It’s available for use on all desktop and mobile devices and VR\/AR headsets. This includes mobile-based iOS and Android devices. Users can visit four sites that have been critical to NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission: Curiosity’s landing site; Murray Buttes; Marias Pass; and Pahrump Hills. The rover’s location on lower Mount Sharp will be periodically updated to reflect the mission’s ongoing progress. For more about all of NASA’s Mars missions, go to <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The collaboration between NASA and Google is one of numerous virtual and augmented reality projects made possible by the high-resolution imagery and data the space agency has collected with spacecraft and rovers on and around other worlds over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Access Mars was created with photos taken by NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/msl\/home\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Curiosity rover<\/a>, which has been studying the Red Planet since 2012. Users can navigate Curiosity\u2019s path, including the rover\u2019s landing site, its current location, and Martian landmarks like the Pahrump Hills, Marias Pass, and Murray Buttes, with wind hissing steadily in the background and explanations spoken by NASA scientist Kathryn Stack Morgan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users only need a cellphone or computer and an internet connection, making the project broadly accessible, especially compared with traditional virtual reality experiences that require expensive headsets and large file downloads. This accessibility has come in handy for people feeling cooped up amid the pandemic of 2020.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe saw a 15-times increase in visitors starting in mid-March,\u201d said Ryan Burke, creative producer at Google\u2019s Creative Lab. That uptick coincided with the first wave of stay-at-home orders in the United States to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The additional traffic is, at least in part, the result of teachers accommodating distance-learning situations and students and others looking for ways to learn and explore while maintaining social distance.  <\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1569\" height=\"1070\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?w=1569\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Map on Mars.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg 1569w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=300,205 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=768,524 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=1024,698 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=1536,1047 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=400,273 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=600,409 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=900,614 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?resize=1200,818 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1569px) 100vw, 1569px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Access Mars lets users navigate Curiosity\u2019s path, including the rover\u2019s landing site, its current location, and Martian landmarks like the Pahrump Hills, Marias Pass, and Murray Buttes.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong><em>Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/em><\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cAccess Mars is very active Monday through Friday, while schools are in session, and then traffic dips a bit on the weekends,\u201d Burke said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting NASA data into the hands of more people was always the point of the NASA-Google collaboration, which was formalized in a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA Headquarters and is one of numerous SAA partnerships with the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with private-sector organizations helps NASA get information about the agency\u2019s work to the public, and it can help keep that information up to date and accessible, according to Sasha Samochina, deputy manager of the Ops Lab at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which worked with Google on the Access Mars project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samochina and her team at the Ops Lab previously worked with Microsoft on a Mars app for the company\u2019s HoloLens, mixed-reality smart glasses that can function as a virtual reality headset. The HoloLens app, OnSight, allowed planetary geologists at NASA to study the surface of Mars by walking through the virtual terrain captured by Curiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cScientists could basically do site visits to places they were studying on Mars,\u201d Samochina said. \u201cIt was a first of its kind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The OnSight app <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7249\" rel=\"noopener\">won<\/a> NASA\u2019s software of the year award in 2018, and Mars scientists at NASA still use it to visualize and understand the terrain around the rover. However, besides a temporary exhibit at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center Visitor\u2019s Center in Florida, it wasn\u2019t easily accessible to the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA shared the same Martian terrain data with Google to make an experience that\u2019s available to everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The original files were too big for the web, so Google rebuilt the terrain data into smaller pieces. These smaller files load faster and use less data, giving a high definition view of the surface of Mars to almost anyone with internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur data is out there to be used,\u201d NASA\u2019s Samochina said. \u201cThe more accessible and the more understandable we can make it, and the more we can put it into easily digestible experiences, the better it is for us and for people who are trying to learn about what NASA is up to, what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The World at Your Fingertips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to creating its own browser-based Solar System <a href=\"https:\/\/trek.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Treks<\/a>, NASA has worked with multiple companies on space-related virtual reality projects. The agency\u2019s robust repository of planetary imagery and data make it a natural partner for companies aiming to build other-worldly experiences. The PDS currently holds 1.85 petabytes of data from over 70 missions and continues to grow, with millions of files downloaded by users every month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through another SAA, NASA partnered with Fusion Media Group Labs to create the <a href=\"https:\/\/spinoff.nasa.gov\/Spinoff2019\/cg_3.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Mars 2030 virtual experience<\/a>. And sometimes NASA\u2019s public information is enough. Ireland-based Immersive VR Education created its <a href=\"https:\/\/spinoff.nasa.gov\/Spinoff2018\/cg_1.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Apollo 11 virtual reality experience<\/a> almost entirely from images and drawings posted on NASA\u2019s historical webpages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PDS datasets are also feeding the creations of AstroReality, a Cupertino, California-based company that sells intricate Moon and planet models with augmented reality features that are accessible through a cellphone app.  <\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1104\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Person holding Astro Reality Moon model\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg 5697w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=300,162 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=768,414 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=1024,552 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=1536,828 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=2048,1104 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=400,216 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=600,324 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=900,485 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=1200,647 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/astrorealitylunarpro4.jpg?resize=2000,1078 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Using augmented reality technology, AstroReality\u2019s Moon model can pair with the company\u2019s mobile app to reveal facts about individual lunar features and to simulate NASA missions. AstroReality drew from NASA data to create the model and the app.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong><em>Credits: AstroReality<\/em><\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Hold a smartphone, with the app installed, over one of the company\u2019s detailed and heavy Moon globes, for example, and information about individual craters and other topographical features will pop up, in addition to general Moon knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRather than learning everything on a computer, we\u2019re trying to merge digital experiences with the best and most up-to-date data we can find with something you can hold in your hands,\u201d said J.R. Skok, AstroReality\u2019s chief science officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In creating its models, the company drew from NASA sources, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/lola.gsfc.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter<\/a>, or LOLA, which is onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that has been orbiting the Moon since 2009. LOLA has been gathering detailed topographical information that will inform the agency\u2019s decisions about landing sites for future lunar missions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company has also consulted the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, or MOLA, data for its Mars model topography, and NASA satellite imagery for its Earth model. LOLA, MOLA, and much of the agency\u2019s satellite Earth data are managed by NASA engineers at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AstroReality\u2019s products also draw on NASA experience. Skok has worked as a NASA contractor and intern, and he received funding from the agency as a graduate student. He has used his knowledge of the agency\u2019s resources, including PDS, to help the company recreate celestial bodies with detail and accuracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to planet models, the company sells augmented reality-enabled notebooks and mugs that also work with their cellphone apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While enthusiasts are the company\u2019s main customers, AstroReality also works with the Aldrin Family Foundation to bring space to children through schools and curricula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something the human mind gets when you can actually feel the craters on the Moon,\u201d Skok says. \u201cThere\u2019s an interplay between feeling it with your fingers, seeing it, and then getting the deeper detail through the technology. It creates a human experience, and that makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA has a long history of transferring technology to the private sector. The agency\u2019s Spinoff publication profiles NASA technologies that have transformed into commercial products and services, demonstrating the broader benefits of America\u2019s investment in its space program. Spinoff is a publication of the Technology Transfer program in NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on how NASA brings space technology down to Earth, visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/spinoff.nasa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>spinoff.nasa.gov<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b><i>By Rebecca Carroll<br>\nNASA\u2019s Spinoff Publication<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a time of quarantines and online learning, guided strolls along the surface of Mars are especially appealing. These tours are possible with Access Mars, a free virtual reality experience of the Red Planet, with interactive landmarks and narration by a NASA scientist, using the Planetary Data System (PDS). PDS is a long-term archive of digital [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":300,"featured_media":62663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":["66"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3292,3817,3339,2827],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[4200],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Planets Take Virtual Shape on Earth with NASA Knowledge and Imagery","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/tech-transfer-spinoffs\/planets-take-virtual-shape-on-earth-with-nasa-knowledge-and-imagery\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/tech-transfer-spinoffs\/planets-take-virtual-shape-on-earth-with-nasa-knowledge-and-imagery\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg"},"articleSection":"Learning Resources","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ann M. Harkey"}],"creator":["Ann M. Harkey"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Technology","Technology Transfer & Spinoffs","Grades 9 - 12","Spinoffs","Technology Transfer"],"dateCreated":"2020-09-14T18:30:00Z","datePublished":"2020-09-14T18:30:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-27T16:17:21Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Planets Take Virtual Shape on Earth with NASA Knowledge and Imagery\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/tech-transfer-spinoffs\/planets-take-virtual-shape-on-earth-with-nasa-knowledge-and-imagery\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2020-09-14T18:30:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Learning Resources\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Technology,Technology Transfer & Spinoffs,Grades 9 - 12,Spinoffs,Technology Transfer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Ann M. Harkey\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":8,"time_ago":"4 years","featured_image":{"id":62663,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/accessmarsmap.jpg","title":"accessmarsmap","alt":"Map on Mars.","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/300"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61012"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188603,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61012\/revisions\/188603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61012"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=61012"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=61012"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=61012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}