NASA, known for its stunts in the sky, is now pulling some equally amazing feats on terrestrial flooring to ensure that its space somersaults are safe.

The agency is toying with some new e-learning ventures, notably a twist on gaming that will allow astronauts, scientists and engineers to plan lunar missions.

The new toolset will be an adaptation of a video game that simulates driving on the moon, complete with surround sound, surround vision and lunar footage from the 1998 Clementine mission.

By physically stepping into a virtual rocket environment, engineers and astronauts can better answer questions such as: How many vehicles should NASA fly at once? What should be the base diameter on the payload and on the rocket? How fast can a rover go before it loses traction?

VirtueArts and VirtuePlay, sister companies based in Los Angeles that created the video game, have signed an agreement to collaborate with the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., on real-time simulation training.

Such e-learning would allow astronauts and NASA engineers to steer moon buggies and walk through flying spacecraft in 3-D virtual reality, for example.

The companies will unveil the video game version, “Lunar Racing Championship,” later this month at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Space 2006 Conference and Exposition in San Jose, Calif.

The game is designed to stimulate interest in science and technology among children and teenagers.

During the simulated lunar races, drivers sit in individual racing pods, complete with race car seats, shaking steering wheels, and gas and brake pedals. High-fidelity 360-degree head-mounted displays with head-tracking devices let drivers look in any direction and see the racecourse, other racers and a 3-D lunar terrain.

Each five-minute race takes drivers through various locations on the moon, including Hadley Rille, Alpine Valley, the Amundsen Crater and the Tycho Crater.

“It’s comparable to any high-end racing game that’s out there, but you’re racing in one-sixth gravity with no atmosphere,” said Mary Duda, chief executive officer of software developer VirtueArts and game developer VirtuePlay.

In the next three years, NASA hopes to adapt the game technology to conceptualize options for upcoming exploration missions, said Dan Rasky, a senior staff scientist and director of the NASA Ames Space Portal.