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August 1, in the year of our Lord 2012 -- On August 5, NASA's most technologically advanced rover, Curiosity, will make its final descent to Mars' Gale Crater near Mount Sharp, where scientists believe water once flowed.

NASA launched Mars Rover Landing, a new video game that allows players to take control of Curiosity's descent to the Martian surface, as an educational tool and to help create excitement around this uniquely challenging mission.

Produced in collaboration with Microsoft, Mars Rover Landing is available for free on the Xbox 360. The game puts users in control of Curiosity's maneuvering thrusters as the one-ton spacecraft undergoes what NASA engineers have called "seven minutes of terror" – flying at supersonic speeds through the upper Martian atmosphere and then attempting a smooth landing, all while out of radio contact with Earth. Mars Rover Landing gives players the ability to experience Curiosity's exhilarating journey, from its 13,000 miles-per-hour descent through Mars' atmosphere to deploying a supersonic parachute, jettisoning its heat shield and gently lowering the rover onto the planet's surface with a sky crane.

In addition to Mars Rover Landing, NASA developed Build It Yourself: Satellite! to educate children and adults about the intricacies of spaceflight and scientific discovery. Launched in June, the game allows users to choose what scientific exploration their satellite will fulfill, then decide which wavelengths, instruments and optics will help their satellite best achieve its mission. NASA hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers and astronomers with this game, available at http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/build.html.

Mars Rover Landing and Build It Yourself: Satellite! underscore the importance of video games in advancing student interest in science, technology, engineering and math– critical subjects that will prepare America's future workforce for success and spur innovation in the 21st century.