User:Alexanderrea/sandbox

To inspire the first generation that will travel to Mars, McCann New York and Framestore brought the Red Planet closer than it has ever been before via the first-ever group virtual reality experience. Transforming a classic school bus into an immersive, moving field trip where passengers can see, hear and feel what the surface of Mars is like, and do so as a shared experience without headsets or goggles. Our first riders, D.C.-area students, thought they were going on a normal field trip during the 2016 USA Science and Engineering Festival. Framestore, which virtually traveled to Mars when it did special effects for The Martian (it also won an Academy Award for Gravity ), replicated 200 square miles of the Martian surface for the bus trip. The students came from Girls Inc. and 4H.

2016 USA Science and Engineering Festival
The bus trip was part of a larger campaign from the aerospace company called "Generation Beyond," a national Science, Technology, Engineering and Math educational program that aims to bring the science of space to homes and classrooms across America and get more kids to pursue STEM careers. "'Our children—the elementary, middle and high school students of today—make up a generation that will change our universe forever. This is the generation that will walk on Mars, explore deep space and unlock mysteries that we can't yet imagine,' said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin chairman, president and CEO. 'They won't get there alone. It is our job to prepare, inspire and equip them to build the future—and that's exactly what Generation Beyond is designed to do.'"The bus was the main feature of a Mars pavilion during the USA Science and Engineering Festival designed by Momentum Worldwide (a McCann company).

Design
The original brief was only that the bus looked like a school bus as much as possible. When you approach the bus and even when you board the bus, it still looks like the school bus. Only have the experience begins would you being to discover that it is something more. This was achieved by using an IC Bus then adding all of the technology.

The UI design of the screen graphics was influenced by the work by Territory for The Martian film.

Case Study
The case study videos were produced by McCann New York and edited at their production facility Craft also in New York. The footage used of the project was shot by Alexander Rea and McCann.

Touring
After the launch at the festival, the bus was updated for a touring engagement produced by Momentum Worldwide.

Donating to Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
Lockheed Martin donated the award-winning Mars Experience Bus to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Oct. 19, 2018. The donation provides an opportunity to engage students, parents, educators and other key stakeholders in STEM-education.