NASA, ‘Angry Birds’ Team Up to Explore the Red Planet

There is life on Mars — and it's out for revenge against some nasty pigs!

Angry Birds creators Rovio announced a new chapter to Angry Birds Space will come out Thursday. The update is titled "Red Planet", and will send players to the fields of Mars for more bird-on-pig rivalry.

NASA helped Rovio create the trailer by giving them footage taken by the Mars Rover Curiosity from the planet's surface. In addition, the additional levels will include NASA vehicles as part of the architecture.

"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."

It's not the first partnership between the two. When Angry Birds Space debuted in March, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit demonstrated the physics behind Angry Birds — while in space.

"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."

Players can download the updates for the iOS [iTunes link] and Android [Google Play link] versions right now.