Inspire Space Park - A Second Life classic

Fifty years ago today, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into existence. This landmark act led to the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA. Now France is urging the EU to expand its own space exploration program, with possible missions to the Moon and Mars.

While we can't compete with Wired's fascinating and/or hilarious compilation this week of science and NASA-related news items, or Popular Mechanics' look at the future of space, the occasion invites a celebration of our own... a tribute, if you will, to one of the best loved spots on the grid, and the most cosmic one I can think of, Inspire Space Park.



We've only mentioned it once before here, so caught up are we with new things. In fact, it was the third post ever on this blog, back when Not Possible IRL was nothing more than a repository for in-world notices.

That notice read, simply, "So there you are, on a date in-world with your hunny... you are sitting in a convertible muscle car on the beach, watching a dubbed Japanese sci-fi flick.... hmm, nothing too unreal here...



...but what's that up there in the sky? TP up for an out-of-world experience... not even the astronauts could lay claim to this sorta thing."


That's me as Marie Antoinette, in orbit

And yes, it is still possible to sit in a convertible Impala at Inspire Beach's drive-in, watching 1950s sci-fi movies where people are still polite with each other while the world is coming to an end.

Inspire Space Park - just 200 meters up - is a place many of us choose to teleport to when we need to relax. Their traffic yesterday was 35,490, and while it is still wildly popular with the newish "I'm a club VIP" types sporting the tags of their first in-world groups, it is a frequent stomping ground for oldbies dating back to 2004 and 2005, and that's saying a lot. Surprisingly, even when dozens of avatars are present, it doesn't feel crowded.

Inspire is so much more than just a cosmic space station where the creators have rezzed some vivid planets and meteors and brilliant asteroid belts, and tossed in a chill music stream.

Earth Primbee (rez: 6/20/2006) and his partners, Grafx Newbold (rez: 7/10/2006), and Raphael Cremorne (rez: 10/28/2006), have thoughtfully created spaces and rezzed items for people to share quiet IMed conversations, or interact with each other in a serene and peaceful way. Couples can even orbit together in a gentle embrace.


There are always several people practicing Tai Chi together

Or you can simply take in the view, quietly, along with several others.




Nearby, the newer Inspire Dance Planet hosts concerts with musicians such as Voicedude Renoir (see Earth Primbee's vid on Massively), Nuvolino Roffo, and someone I like especially, Cypress Rosewood, as seen in this Machinima by Earth Primbee.


Earth's Machinima have been featured on Wired online, NASA WATCH, and the International Spaceflight Museum blog, to mention a few websites, including this blog

Speaking for myself, a visit to Inspire Space Park always makes me think about space exploration and wonder what the future holds.




See also:
* Hamlet Au at New World Notes got super inspired and did a sweet feature story on Inspire Space Park, in which he reveals how the Inspire Parks came to be.
* Megaprims for Science


Inspire Beach (teleport directly from here)
Inspire Space Park (teleport directly from here)

Dr. Ruth Ballard: Virtual worlds and their tools can be used for science

On January 27th of this year, the Not Possible in Real Life (NPIRL) group launched an initiative to identify and extend invitations to people we admire and whom we believe would derive pleasure in discovering the creation and communication tools available to them in the 3D virtual world known as Second Life. There is certainly a very appreciative - and growing - audience waiting for them. It is our hope that they will take us up on our shout out and make the pilgrimage to check it out. Today, I welcome this introduction to Dr. Ruth Ballard by guest blogger and NPIRLer Bjorlyn Loon.


by Bjorlyn Loon

When geneticist Ruth Ballard went on vacation to Africa, she had no idea she would come home with a DNA database as a souvenir. On a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2001, Ballard found herself wondering whether the Tanzanian population had been adequately tested for DNA, so she took home samples from the native porters assisting on her journey.

Upon her return to the United States, Ballard contacted the Tanzanian government in Dar es Salaam to request permission to conduct more extensive studies of the many tribes in the nation. To her surprise, the government approved her application to begin testing the Maasai, but with a catch: officials asked that Ballard begin the process of mapping the country's entire population of more than 30 million people, and also that she train Tanzanians in the forensic techniques required to use the database effectively.


Dr. Ruth Ballard in the company of Maasais

While Americans tend to think of forensic genetics in terms of crime scene investigations, the focus in many nations is on establishing paternity. In areas where people transit between remote rural villages and the cities, children and spouses may be left behind. To obtain means of support for dependents, the establishment of a full map of genetic markers for a population and subsequent forensic DNA testing of individuals enables governments to identify a child's natural parents.

This humanitarian goal has provided a focus for Ruth's efforts. She returns to Africa during the summers on "saliva safaris" to collect DNA samples that reflect the great human genetic and cultural diversity of the subcontinent.

But the challenge of training African scientists has proved to be more difficult.

While Ballard has developed a forensic biology concentration for undergraduates at California State University Sacramento (CSUS) (where she serves as an Associate Professor for the Department of Biological Sciences), it is difficult to provide the same kind of experimental experience to people on another continent.

Fortunately, Ballard's efforts have coincided with a proliferation of forensic and genetic science opportunities in Second Life. The CSI:NY programs (teleport directly from here) as well as islands such as Genome (teleport directly from here) in the SciLands archipelago would seem to offer a ready-made training ground for Real Life scientists.


Photograph courtesy of CSUS

A true explorer, Professor Ballard seems like a natural to introduce to our virtual world, and involving her colleagues in Africa to Second Life would be an added joy.

Like artists, scientists are benefiting from the opportunity to use Second Life as a distance-spanning collaborative workspace and educational tool. Just a couple of notable examples:

* Dr. Bob Amme and Jeff Corbin of the Science School islands are constructing a model nuclear reactor to teach students from Denver University how to manage nuclear waste. Via a $200,000 grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Second Life installation will engage students in virtual nuclear experimentation, sans the real-life risks of radioactive contamination and terrorist exploitation.

* In February, NASA streamed their Next Generation Exploration Conference into Second Life. Over four days, Second Life residents literally sat at the table to offer ideas and expertise as an integral part of conference working groups. The program is designed to give a boost to potential lunar entrepreneurs in anticipation of setting foot on the moon in the coming decade.
But much of science is still in the dark about the value of virtual worlds. I hope that Professor Ballard will be the first of many scientists recruited by NPIRL.

You can hear Ruth Ballard's story on KXPR's Insight, the Sacramento National Public Radio affiliate, here.

Megaprims for science

Megaprims breathe life into outreach programs that empower human exploration of space.

Builder Jimbo Perhaps and his partner, Rocket Sellers, routinely work with megaprims to help real life rocket companies demonstrate their programs in 3D. Jimbo was also responsible for building most of the rockets at the International Spaceflight Museum.

The Terrestrial Planet Finder is a mission NASA hopes to launch in 15 to 20 years. Slurl: Explorer

Jimbo explained that he would not have been able to achieve the smooth outer hull with regular prims.

The Bussard Ramjet - built here at about 1/4 scale - is a huge spaceship that scoops up interstellar hydrogen and uses it for fuel. Slurl: Bussard Ramjet, Space Frontier


This Sun Tower is a recreation of a plan that recommends that the U.S. Government continue studying the feasibility of solar power as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Slurl: Space Studies Institute, Frontier Spaceport

Yet another solar power satellite has huge particle beams to show the sunlight being gathered and converted into microwaves.

All this would not have been possible without megaprims.

Dear Linden Labs: Give us some editable megaprims, bigger prims, manageable prims... but don't take away our megas... and Michael Linden? It's been two weeks now... Two weeks that builders have been stalled on many projects. Please give the waiting (second) world a favorable answer, and soon!

Earth Primbee's Machinima - Using virtual environments to benefit Real Life

One of NPIRL's charter members, builder of the much admired Inspire Drive-In and Inspire Space Park, dreamer and machinima maker Earth Primbee, alerted us to two new vids he's created. Here are instances where Second Life's virtual environments accomplish things that would not be possible in real life, but also turn right around to benefit the real world.

NASA CoLab

"It is especially important when considering science and technology to seek the potential as much as the present value in new ideas," said Earth. "So many great things in our lives are a result of ideas born at the edge of "that's impossible" or "that's ridiculous." It is my hope that this video will not only encourage NASA's efforts to harness the power of virtual worlds, but help the world see how it will and does benefit everyone."

"The Narrows" song by Broet

Earth told us that he's been experimenting with using prims as an alternative to traditional lighting instruments in Second Life for some time. He added, "the band Broet knew I loved to create music video style clips. They asked me to throw something together for a show they had coming up in Austin, TX. I decided to push my lighting prims to the limit and really see what I could do. This video is a combination of some of the clips I produced in Second Life that I projected behind the band during the live performance in real life. I thought their song was perfect for the mood of the NASA CoLab video and ties the two examples of the uses of Second Life together."