Purdue student creates smart phone app for NASA

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - One 19 year old Purdue sophomore has a big story to tell in the form of a little app.

Electrical engineering student, Riley Avron, created an app during his summer internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He said it will help engineers learn how to control the Curiosity Rover on Mars.

"The Rover Planners will ultimately drive the rover on Mars," Avron said. "They can practice here on Earth, and if they get stuck, it's not big deal, you can just bring a forklift in. That way they don't get stuck on Mars where there are no forklifts or Triple A."

NASA engineers are learning to maneuver Curiosity using the Scarecrow Rover, which moves like the one on Mars except it's on Earth.

Avron said the app will make commanding the rover a simpler process.

"Previously to control the rover you had to use a computer and type into the computer long and kind of extended commands," Avron said. "You had to memorize [the commands] as well because there was no command dictionary that was easily accessible. Now the app allows anyone with an iPhone to simply stage into the rover and drive it around."

Avron hopes the app will help the curiosity rover avoid trouble. Unbelievably, it took Avron the length of his internship, just 10 weeks, to create the app.