Source: BBC

Despite all the great after school special clichés about kids “wanting to be an astronaut when they grow up,” I personally have never heard a child ever say that. The hype that once existed for outer space and traveling to the moon has basically died off over the last 20 years. The Cold War ended and NASA lost a huge chunk of its public appeal with it. That may change, if NASA has its way, as they begin to put out “feelers” for a video game development studio to help them rekindle interest in little green men and flag planting on far away worlds.

Find out how NASA plans to use video games to recruit the next generation of astronauts after the jump!

NASA is apparently looking around the industry for a studio who can create an MMO world for them. What they want is a partner who can provide them with a “powerful physics” based engine that can “support accurate in-game experimentation and research.” NASA’s game will target students and “simulate real NASA engineering and science missions.”

According to the request for information obtained by the BBC, NASA believes, “A high quality synthetic gaming environment is a vital element of NASA’s educational cyberstructure,” and that “A NASA-based MMO could provide opportunities for students to investigate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career paths while participating in engaging game-play.”

Some of the “engaging game-play” you’ll be able to experience, should the title ever get developed, include the ability to “tinker with chemical reactions on living cells,” “repairing expensive equipment,” and virtually, “experience micro gravity.”

Uber science geeks everywhere rejoice!

Of course this is not the first time a government agency has used video games to attract the gaming generation to a career. America’s Army has held a similar role for a few years now. (not that I ever thought using a game to recruit soldiers was a good thing mind you.) This is also the second time NASA has approached the gaming industry; they already have their own island in Second Life (ewwww).

While I applaud NASA taking this step, and I do think using a game to reach bright young minds is a good thing, they really have to add something more fun than virtually “repairing expensive equipment” (could that possibly sound any more boring?) if they ever hope to get gamers to turn away from WoW to play NASA.

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