Java on Mars

I’ve just been reading through the material presented during the JavaOne 2008 conference. One session that particularly caught my eye was about JMARS, it stands for “Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing". The Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University have developed a mapping system using Java. It provides access to maps and images from NASA Mars missions.

It’s always fun to see what people in the world are building using Java, but it never occurred to me to start thinking about other worlds too! With JMARS, you can target a specific spot on the surface of Mars, and once data is collected by a Mars satellite, it will show you a map of your chosen location. It will also display other data, such as elevation or composition. Students can even participate in researching Mars by taking their own images.