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MARS NEEDS YOU

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Courier Mail Thursday 19 Nov 2009, page 20   AFP

 

NASA and Microsoft have launched an interactive website that allows web surfers to become Mars explorers.

To Be A Martian website invited the public to help scientists perform such research tasks as improving maps of the red plantet.

"We're at a point in history where everyone can be an explorer," said Doug McCuistion, directo of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

"With so much data coming back from Mars missions that are accessible by all, exploring Mars has become a shared human endeavour,", he said.

"People worldwide can expand the specialised efforts of a few hundred Mars mission team members and make authentic contributions of their own."

Users can, for example, count craters on Mars, a task NASA said hd posed a challenge in the past because of the vast numbers involved.

The website - http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov  -  features hundreds of thousands of pictures of Mars, many of which have never been released before

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-and-microsoft-allow-earthlings-to-become-martians-70290657.html

Stefanie Evans

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