So, we here at On Request Magazine had the privilege of getting to interview and witness an exhibit from NASA’s JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Based out of Pasadena, CA, this group of scientists and researchers were essential crew members in helping with the landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars last year. In fact, one of the scientists, a Mr. Bobak Ferdowsi, has become a national celebrity after being dubbed by United States President Barack Obama as the “mohawk guy” after being seen during the live mission to land the rover on the surface of Mars with a mohawk.

While there at E3, we were lucky enough to get to hold some of the actual tires used on past and present rovers for Mars, and got a first hand demonstration of JPL’s use of the Xbox Kinect system to make a game that not only educates people on what goes into the process of landing a rover on the surface of Mars, but allows gamers to get first hand experience in the scientific field of space exploration.

The visual displays were remarkable, especially when one considers how amazing it is to see the man made tires that set foot on another planet, and one even could get a picture with a cut-out display of the Mars rover and a 3-D display of any one of NASA’s rovers could be digitally imposed onto your shoulder for a picture.

The entire experience was surreal. Each scientist, researcher, and designer’s passion for their field and the wealth of information that had was so fun to witness, and the amazing ways that JPL and NASA have been able to incorporate the gaming industries technology into their own scientific endevouers was phenomenal to see. To see video interviews and video from the conference, check out On Request Magazine or their YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/rockonrequest