James Cameron building 3D cam for Mars rover

Oscar-winning director James Cameron is helping NASA develop a high-resolution 3D camera for the next Mars rover, Curiosity, due to launch in 2011.

The director of “Avatar” and other sci-fi flicks believes the public will better understand the mission if the rover has 3D imaging capabilities, according to a CBS News report.

Budget overruns had forced NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to rethink plans to mount a 3D cam on Curiosity, but Cameron apparently convinced NASA administrator Charles Bolden that wasn’t a good idea.

Cameron is working with San Diego-based Malin Space Science Systems to build the 3D camera, which will be installed on a mast aboard Curiosity.

Read the whole story here.