Angry Birds Space gets "Red Planet" update

Though it may not be extremely popular in hardcore gaming circles anymore, Angry Birds has become the preeminent smash hit video game of our time. Today the creators of the title announced they're bringing a free new update to their latest, Angry Birds Space, that once again ties in with NASA's efforts.

We don't know what's behind Rovio's recent collaboration with NASA (maybe some kind of huge federal tax break) but we love it. Games are great on their own, but if they have a side effect of encouraging kids to realize that space is awesome, then more power to them.

This new update also features a hook based on NASA's Curiosity rover that landed on Mars earlier this month. The previous game's Golden Eggs are gone and have been replaced by little rovers that players must land their birds on to open up bonus stages.