Today, technology lets people travel across the planet and even to space without leaving their desk chair. A new virtual reality experience from Oculus Rift simulates what it feels like to be an astronaut orbiting Earth on the International Space Station.
To make exploring the ISS as accurate as possible, Oculus teamed up with NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. Oculus Touch, the hand controller to the VR experience, takes the simulation to another level: dock incoming cargo, go on space walks in low-earth orbit, and perform mission-critical tasks, Engadget reports.
According to an Oculus press release, the company created the VR “based on NASA Space Station models as well as discussions with multiple astronauts and the VR Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.” The company partnered with an Academy Award-winning visual effects company to make an experience known to only 500 people as accessible as possible.
The VR company has also partnered with high schools in the United States to bring this unique, education experience to students that may not have an Oculus Rift, which could inspire the next generation of astronauts.
—RealClearLife
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