Epic struggle between birds and pigs goes on with a Martian twist

NASA is helping pigs and birds explore the Martian terrain and shed light on the agency's missions to the Red Planet in the latest update to the game Angry Birds Space. Rovio Entertainment, creator of Angry Birds, announced the update Thursday, complete with a cast of agency rovers and landers.

Earlier this year, millions of gamers were introduced to concepts of microgravity in Angry Birds Space, which was supported through a partnership with NASA and includes links to a variety of education information.

"Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration," said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way."

NASA participated with Rovio on Angry Birds Space under a Space Act Agreement to share the excitement of space with the Angry Birds community, educate players about agency projects and programs, and collaboratively create interactive informational experiences for the public. The game will include links to NASA web content about Mars exploration and NASA missions that are represented in the game.

"We're huge NASA fans, and we were all cheering the Mars Curiosity rover as it touched down," said Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of Rovio Entertainment. "So, working together on the Mars update was a perfect fit, especially since we got such an amazing response to our previous collaboration, the 'Angry Birds Space: NASA announcement' video, which quickly surged to the top of 2012's viral video charts. We're thrilled to continue working with NASA. Stay tuned for even more great fun and educational content coming up."