NASA, in conjunction with Microsoft, will be releasing a Mars Rover Lander game for the Xbox 360. The game, which is Kinect controlled, will give users the ability to land the Mars Rover without crashing it.

Normally, news of a Mars Rover Landing game would not be a big deal at all, but the fact that it is free will turn some heads. The game will be released on Monday and is meant to simulate what NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will going through on August 5th.

The game will have players attempting to try to complete all three stages of the landing. Players are rated on how well they do and get a score based on each individual phase, which is compiled into an overall score.

It is unknown if the game will work without Kinect, but we suspect that it will not and you will also have to have Kinect to download it. Still, free is free; and while it might not be the old Atari Lunar Lander, it could be an unexpected way to have a little fun and learn something about science at the same time.

Read the USA Today report that broke the news here.