NASA is having an out-of-this-world 3D experience, thanks to gamers here on Earth. The team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that controls the rover Curiosity is usingNVIDIA 3D Vision glasses to see Mars in 3D and plan rover missions in a virtual, game-like environment. JPL developed the technique to account for the unique challenge in controlling a vehicle 352 million miles away. Since it takes 14 minutes to get a signal to Mars, it can’t be operated like a remote-controlled car on Earth. By the time a driver recognizes a hazard and tells the rover to stop, NASA’s priceless asset might lie in a mangled heap at the bottom of a ravine. So the team developed a simulated environment, like a video game, to test each action before telling the rover to move. Read More blog comments powered by Disqus