A sense of community is important to NASA. That's why they opened a NASA mansion for parties and just hanging out, hacking software and making Uranus jokes. But the NASA mansion was only good during the night. NASA's Andrew Hoppin explains how Second Life allowed connections during the day.

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NASA doesn't just explore space, it also exploring video gaming! NASA is shifting though proposals from companies keen on creating a MMO that will let students create phony experiments and test out different NASA careers. Says NASA:

NASA is in a position to develop an online game that functions as a persistent, synthetic environment supporting education as a laboratory, a massive visualisation tool, and collaborative workspace while simultaneously drawing users into a challenging, gameplay experience.

Wow, NASA not only talks in the third person, but sounds really boring. This ploy seems like Space Camp for kids whose parents aren't willing to cough up the insane camp fees. Note about Space Camp: I attended as a child and wasn't "selected" as an astronaut. I was a Mission Control flunky instead. We had to read from a binder notebook and flip switches, just like that girl in the above picture. Trust me, she's thinking, "worst camp ever"! And yes, I'm still bitter.

Space MMO [Game Industry] [Pic]

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