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Google and Nasa sign Space Agreement Act

Wednesday, 20 December 2006

Google and Nasa sign Space Agreement Act

Images of the Moon and Mars will soon be on the Internet following a deal between search giant Google and the American space agency Nasa. The two organisations signed the Space Agreement Act on Monday.

This will mean "the most useful of Nasa's information" will be available to Internet users and real-time weather data and the positions of the International Space Station and shuttle could also be included.

Scientists from both institutions will work together to solve complicated computational problems.

"This agreement between Nasa and Google will soon allow every American to experience a virtual flight over the surface of the moon or through the canyons of Mars," said Nasa administrator Michael Griffin and he added that the deal will make "Nasa's space exploration work accessible to everyone."

Last year, Google agreed to build a research centre at the Nasa Ames Research Center, and following the partnership forged then, the two organisations have said they will now collaborate in a variety of ways including adding data collected by Nasa to the online mapping tool Google Earth.

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