NASA's web site releases "drive the Mars rovers!" interactive feature

Amber Marek
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

KSC Release No. 12-04

NASA'S WEB SITE RELEASES "DRIVE THE MARS ROVERS!" INTERACTIVE FEATURE

NASA's M2K4 Web site has just launched an interactive program that gives any
citizen of cyberspace the chance to drive Spirit and Opportunity across the
surface of the red planet.

"This experience will allow visitors to NASA's Web site the chance to
explore Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum, without having to make the
300-million-mile trek," joked KSC's Public Web Information Manager Dennis
Armstrong.

The interactive experience is frequently updated with the latest pictures
and findings from the Mars Rover missions. Drivers of the digital martian
duo can examine the same points of interest investigated by the real rovers,
such as "Bonneville" crater and "El Capitan."

"We're hoping that users will count on this feature as a great source to
find out about Mars Exploration Rover discoveries as they're announced, and
a lot of people already have; in the first week and a half, we've received
over 210,000 page views," added Armstrong.

M2K4 is a multimedia experience that gives Web users the chance to explore
the Mars Exploration Rover missions up close. Interactive features include
animations of the mission, martian trivia, and now, the chance to virtually
drive across the surface of Mars.

Drive the Mars Rovers! can be accessed by visiting
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/m2.../frameset.html

Media can contact Dennis Armstrong at 321-867-2468 for more information
about the Drive the Mars Rovers! Program.

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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info