James Cameron helping design 3D camera for new Mars rover

Awesome. So this January, it seems that Cameron found time in between money-counting sessions to pitch NASA about putting a 3D camera on the Curiosity Mars rover, set for a 2011 launch. Incredibly, they went for it. I’m guessing it had something to do with budget — probably something along the lines of “my movie is making more per month than your department does in a year, I got this one.”

The camera, which will certainly be something very different from what Cameron used to shoot Avatar due to space and weight restrictions, will be put on the “mast” of Curiosity and used to… well, take 3D footage of the Martian landscape. I’ve seen a few 3D Martian panoramas in my time, and I have to say it’s probably a good idea.
The question is whether they can sell it to audiences without sexy cat ladies epic space battles?
[via CNET]