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NASA Dreams of an Interplanetary ‘Second Life’ for Mars Crew

Wired - NASA Dreams of an Interplanetary ‘Second Life’ for Mars Crew: NASA thinks it has an answer to the psychological challenge of interplanetary isolation. While aerospace engineers are designing the Ares rockets to be deployed in the Mars missions, a more starry-eyed contingent at NASA is testing networking and virtual reality technologies that they think will connect the first wave of Mars pioneers with their families, friends and colleagues back on Earth, in a 3-D virtual world cut from the mold of Second Life or World of Warcraft.

Especially relevant: If NASA’s virtual world gambit seems like a pipe dream, there’s no doubt that astronauts traveling to Mars, or returning to the Moon, will enjoy a wealth of tech communications options that the Apollo crews couldn’t have imagined.

Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, says that with high-resolution videocameras, podcasts and web forums, the first Mars invaders could stage the ultimate reality show, with some becoming super-icons back on Earth.

Just knowing that their every move is being watched by a rapt audience at home could help the Mars voyagers find the strength to solider on in the face of “long-term conditions of isolation, privation and psychological stress,” says Robert Zubrin, author of The Case for Mars and founder of The Mars Society.

“The psychological boost enjoyed by Mars-bound astronauts of knowing that they are ‘golden people,’ celebrated as heroes by millions on Earth, cannot be overstated,” says Zubrin.

Posted by G.P. on 01/05/08
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