European Planetary Science Congress Learns About MoonWorld
Tue Oct 5 2010
Dr. Chuck Wood, director of the Center for Educational Technologies, presented at the European Planetary Science Congress a poster session on the MoonWorld virtual environment developed by the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future.
The poster, MoonWorld: Exploring the Moon in Virtual Worlds, was coauthored by Dr. Debbie Denise Reese, senior educational researcher at the center, and Dr. Laurie Ruberg, associate director of the center. The presentation at the Congress, held Sept. 19-24 in Rome, recounted the Classroom of the Future's work in exploring lunar science concepts through virtual fieldwork.
MoonWorld is an immersive virtual learning experience that is realistically based on actual lunar landscapes and NASA concepts for spacesuits, bases, rovers, and life support. Each spacesuited avatar team navigates a realistic geologic environment with one-sixth gravity and limited life support. Teams engage in authentic scientific inquiry to seek solutions for planetary geology challenges.
