To all current and former Moon Society Members and Friends:

The Moon Society Leadership wishes to inform all our members and former members of this unique new gaming platform, that will run circles around Second Life, yet be free.

This is the kind of software we wish we had to build our Luna City Simulation back in the late 1990s during the Artemis Project/Artemis Society days.

 Your coments are welcome: president@moonsociety.org

Logos of supporting organizations above:

 http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/moon_mountain_020326.html 
The Moon's Malapert Mountain Seen As Ideal Site for Lunar Lab:

“Two sharp-eyed investigators using radar astronomy imagery and photos of the Moon snapped by the U.S. Defense Departments Clementine orbiter have pinpointed the best place to help kick-start a 21st century program of lunar exploration and utilization.

The site, Malapert Mountain, is located 76 miles (122 kilometers) from the Moons South Pole. (For those not Moon-map impaired, the mountain is located 86 degrees South Latitude, 0 degrees Longitude.) This ideal spot -- unlike any other area on neighboring Luna has been highlighted as being suitable for astronomy, communications relay purposes, and perfect to help foster commercial development of the Moon.” -LUNA CITY will surround the Malapert Mountain for miles. Think of the spectacular MMOG Vista at this location!

Lunar Explorer is committed to help bring about the long overdue birth of a true Space Faring Civilization. We will do this primarily through creating personal experiences of Space exploration for every man, woman, and child who shares a bold and hopeful vision for our Solar System. Our message is that Space Settlement is the greatest adventure in all of Human history, and holds the keys to our survival and prosperity. Each and every person has the capacity to participate and to contribute significantly to making it happen in this generation. Our software will inform, educate, inspire and motivate people into taking action to propel this important area of space science.

We intend to partner with other companies, individuals and organizations which share our vision for making space accessible to everyone in the most inspiring and realistic possible way. Lunar Explorer is an ideal tool for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Our aim is to extend the Lunar Explorer interactivity to allow users to build sustainable environments. The proposal under this grant would expand capability to actually build structures, habitats, vehicles, and “Luna City” colony and accomplish it within a fully simulated and immersed Lunar environment including an integrated physics engine that simulates Lunar gravity and the complete spectrum of conditions on the Lunar surface. END

We must not only retain our space workforce so that we don't let other countries surpass our technical capabilities; we must train new scientists and engineers for the next generation. My comprehensive space policy focuses on reaching new frontiers through human space exploration, tapping the ingenuity of our commercial space entrepreneurs, fostering a broad research agenda to break new ground on the world's leading scientific discoveries, and engaging students through educational programs that excite them about space and science.

AMES Statement: Please reference:  DigitalSpace Papers : Sim Hab: Virtual Environments for Moon and Mars Habitat Design, NASA Ames Research Center has developed an agent-based 3D simulation platform called BrahmsVE that permits accurate re-construction of the actual life and procedures recorded at FMARS and MDRS. We believe that the construction and operation of physical analogue habitats must be coupled with detailed re-constructed simulation and resulting analysis of the human-machine interaction observed aboard those habitats.
Future Lunar and Mars human surface presence cannot be designed, engineered, risk-assessed and costed without substantial up-front modeling and simulation of both parametric system elements and 3D re-constructions. Due to the large number of players and expertise brought to this problem, only a platform that runs in the open environment of the Web with a license-free plug-in backed by rapid prototyping tools available at low or no cost can service this need.
Proposed Follow-on Program of Research and Development

It is proposed that BrahmsVE be extended to serve a wider set of needs within NASA and the commercial sector. As the platform is already funded to its commercial launch date in 2005, extensions to the platform will only increase its viability as a spiral development and systems-within-systems design enabling tool. Working with partners Adobe, Intel, Boeing and the thirty corporate members of the 3DForum community, a body of BrahmsVE applications, 3D models, source code and behaviors could be made available without license or cost for the purposes of engaging a wider community in Moon-Mars exploration concept development and visualization. We also envisage a wider role for BrahmsVE in outreach, bringing real engineering studies to schools, universities and the wider public, aiding in the creation of the next generation of engineers and leaders who will bring the Exploration Office’s vision to reality. END

1. Integrating the game with existing NSS contests. NSS will develop an initial cast of characters who live on the settlement, and will encourage the public to write sequels using them for the online video records hall. NSS will judge the script submissions and publish the best ones in a mirrored online anthology. For the NSS art contest, we could organize a lunar art gallery where people could post work in relation to the MMOG. The art that generates the highest bid would be the winner for our calendar or be the cover of well-known NSS sponsored Ad Astra magazine.

2. Hold game role-playing sessions at our annual International Space Develop Conference (ISDC). We will provide headsets for attendees to experience the collaborative VR project in the Exhibits Room, and facilitate sign-up for "ISDC on the Moon", having arranged for virtual ISDC access through a customized Sub-portal to the Hyatt Lunar Hotel, first tourism rest-place on the Moon. Hyatt may chip in financing for this installation.

3. Work with AIAA and the Moon Society to initiate a space settlement design contest using the game platform. AIAA's Space Settlement Technical Committee is involved to funnel the engineering expertise they possess to add proper dimension that would make the contest realistically challenging.  This is part of an overall goal to apply physical science constraints and embed them into the program so that students will work within existing conditions Perhaps we can involve some NSS/AIAA members who are engineers/scientists.

4. NSS can mirror the planned comprehensive online components reference library to aid players in their design and planning activities. NSS has one of the most extensive collections of space settlement documents and related fiction on its Web site. In the three year life of this grant we could transfer much of this data to the MMOG Library archives. We would also use grant money to generate a comprehensive web-page FAQ section about radiation, materials, vacuum, pressure, micrometeorite threat; ensuring constraints and access to sparse resources are properly addressed by the armchair colonists.

5. NSS can promote the MMOG learning tool through our newsletter, conferences, chapter activities, and magazine. The game then achieves grassroots support –something the NSS takes pride at being good at. We would use grant money to prepare brochures, DVD "sample scenarios" to give out at conferences, and gear (headsets/projectors/props) that we can borrow to run workshops at museums and schools
 
6. An end product that could be run as a planetarium show would be terrific. The Rice Space Institute has a set of shows they have developed for the Houston Museum of Natural Science--  we could partner with them to develop this. NSS would offer expertise in material science and how things work in vacuum and help analyze for charged particle radiation as to lunar sun and shade. We can assess micro-meteorite impact on people and structures.

1) NSS coordination, administrative and educational, with GOOGLE Inc. through their existing  partnership. Included is coordination with nationally-based Science Museums and NASA Learning Programs. Some of this money is intended to give to the museum organizations to provide a space for the exhibit. Needed are 3 workstations per museum. Dr. Thornburg will coordinate with the NSS on this.
           $ 20,000 per year

2) Rutgers’ Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education and Center for Structures in Extreme Environments will coordinate with Lunar Explorer the interfacing process. We will involve students at the university to design the first structures that Luna City spins off from. Included is 3-D design of the already envisioned Malapert Lunar Base that is located at the Moon’s Malapert Mountain. Lunar Explorer will work with university and GOOGLE programmers to write the software for the components library with sample objects.
$ 25,000  CMSCE receives $5,000 CSEE receives $20,000 each of three years.
    
3) NSS will orchestrate with AIAA's Space Settlement Technical Committee, STEM, and Ames Research Center BRAHMS Project, mirror at their site the comprehensive online reference library to aid players in design and planning activities, promote the learning tool through the NSS newsletter, conferences, chapter activities, and magazine, coordinate with the Rice Space Institute for a planetarium show developed for the Houston Museum of Natural Science, - $15,000 for each of three years

4) Virtue Arts in partnership with Lunar Explorer to program and consistently update complexity levels for the C++ interface from Lunar Explorer software for the Online MMOG platform. - $70,000 for each of three years

5) Barnhard Associates, LLC, under auspices of NSS as consultant, will coordinate with Lunar Explorer the program interfacing process to JAVA. - $80,000 for each of three years

6) GOOGLE Workshops under CUE to integrate learning programs and student Beta Testing.
20,000 per year for last two year cycles

7) STEM coordination through Dr. David Thornburg and Dr. Maarten Seirhuis with Ames Research Center and GOOGLE TOOLS/CUE - 20,000 per year for last two year cycles

8) AMES RESEARCH CENTER integration of BRAHMS and other programming expertise. Money goes to Maarten Seirhuis as consultant scientist from Silicon Valley Senior Systems - $15,000 for each of three years

9) Equipment. 25  Computer workstations for the various partners in the Collaborative.
     $25,000 per year.  

10) DOCUMENTARY: NASA TV/PBS in conjunction with COTF. To be matched by outside source by $100,000.
$50,000 per year

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center's Learning Technologies Project Office (LTPO) is releasing a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) to conduct research and evaluation on the design and usage of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) and Persistent Immersive Synthetic Environments (Virtual Worlds) for NASA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Training. The LTPO MMOG Research and Evaluation CAN will consider proposals that communicate the required approach and skills to: Contribute to NASA, other Federal Agencies, private industry and academias research initiatives to improve STEM content and delivery approaches that promote the development of our Nations future workforce, workforce applications and missions. Provide experiences and activities that are grounded in education research or utilize evidence-supported approaches, techniques, and tools; and Stimulate linkages and connections to and from secondary education and higher education and informal education communities using NASA content within a gaming context. It is anticipated that one award of up to $350,000 annually will be made to partner with LTPO (Lower Tier Project Office)  and the MMOG developer to infuse educational content and design into the NASA MMOG for up to three years. One award of up to $100K annually is planned to award an independent evaluation effort for up to three years and one award of up to $100K annually is planned to conduct broad-based research of the applicability of educational gaming to diverse institutions and people. NASA expects to award the Cooperative Agreements under this CAN pursuant to the authority of 1260.12(d) of the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook. Upon its release date, this CAN will be available electronically through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRE) and through Grants.gov. It is anticipated that the CAN will be available the second week of June 2009.

Proposals should be submitted electronically via NASAs proposal data system, NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES)( http://nspires.nasaprs.com ) or through Grants.gov. Organizations interested in collaborating with NASA to conduct this exciting research are invited to submit proposals. Only one funding category can be awarded for any organization. Under this CAN we are soliciting proposals from domestic higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of organizations and institutions serving students. Partnerships with these institutions and/or organizations which insure the participation of underserved, underrepresented minority populations in STEM and minority higher education institutions are required. Electronically submitted Notices of Intent to propose are requested. Proposal due date is August 10, 2009 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST). The electronic submission of each proposal's Cover Page, Proposal Summary, and Budget Summary is required by the due date for proposal submission. This solicitation leading to the award of a Cooperative Agreement is issued pursuant to title 14 CFR Part 1260 for educational and nonprofit institutions. Notwithstanding the posting of this opportunity at FedBizOpps.gov, Grants.gov, or at both sites, NASA reserves the right to determine the appropriate award instrument for each proposal selected pursuant to this announcement. Direct questions specifically regarding this solicitation to: James L. Harrington, Jr. Learning Technologies Mail Stop 606.3 Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771Email: James.L.Harrington@nasa.gov 301-286-4063