Think about what VR actually is. In the literal sense VR, of course, stands for virtual reality. Lets examine that phrase for a moment, shall we? Without getting too philosophical, we can all agree on what reality is. But, its worth remembering that virtual has a double meaning. While it means existing digitally, not physically, it also means almost. Nearly. Very close. We promise this is going somewhere, and youve actually landed on Space.com and not Dictionary.com.
The idea of doing in an alternate almost reality what you cannot in the real world is very appealing. Thats why people seek out VR headsets like the PlayStation VR or Oculus Quest 2. Were not talking about things like soaring through the sky as a bird or going on an adventure on an alien planet with futuristic weapons (although VR does allow you to do these things). Rather, were thinking about things that you theoretically could do in the real world, but for various reasons may never get the chance to. Mountain climbing, visiting a rainforest, racing at extreme speeds, going into space things like that.
Virtual reality presents an opportunity to experience a wide range of otherwise unobtainable experiences quickly, easily, safely, and often for free. Its not the real thing, of course, but its much closer than you could otherwise get.
One thing that the vast majority of people will never get the chance to do, but that a significant percentage of those same people would love to do, is become an astronaut and visit space. Without the years of mental and physical training necessary (or just being a billionaire), the next best thing we have is virtual reality. For example, Mission: ISS offers a tantalizing taste of astronaut life, and its free. You can get it from the Oculus store for the Oculus Quest 2 system.
Made with help from NASA, Mission: ISS gives you a little corner of the International Space Station to explore. Youre able to navigate tight spaces in zero gravity, look outside to see the Earth hanging below, and gently bat floating items out of your way the full astronaut experience!
Theres an educational component to the experience, most explicitly in terms of the optional pop-ups to be found. If something is highlighted in yellow when you point at it a spacesuit, say, or a control console you can hold the trigger to reveal text and a photo or sometimes a video. Here, a NASA astronaut will talk briefly about their experiences. Its not all dry technical stuff, either. Have you ever wondered how an astronaut washes their hair in zero gravity? Well, if you havent before, you certainly are now. Thats one mystery that Mission: ISS can clear up for you.
Nonetheless, youre free to completely ignore these if you wish, and concentrate on playing astronaut yourself. As we mentioned, this is a zero-gravity experience. You can use the left stick to push yourself forwards and backwards to make things a little easier, but you can (and will) also need to grab onto handholds to push and pull yourself along in every direction. It can take a little while to master moving around in this way. But then, of course it can, this isnt something most people are accustomed to.
You can even go on a simulated spacewalk. Typing this, we can still remember gingerly using our propulsion unit in conjunction with the hand-led navigation wed practiced using while inside. With the Earth looming large below us, we carefully made our way to the area we were asked to check and back, noticing a release of tension once wed reached the airlock. Its alarmingly easy to drift off course or to go too far, and the tether attached to an astronauts spacesuit isnt indestructible
Theres another, safer, but equally tricky mission. From the safety of the inside of the ISS, youll be able to operate the Canadarm 2 which is a giant robotic arm. Its not nearly as simple as you might expect. Operating the arm involves using two sticks while observing it on two separate monitors. Its slow, demanding, and really makes you feel like youre doing proper astronaut work.
Simulating some of the work done on the ISS is very cool, but theres a simple joy to be had just making your way around. The interior is packed full of detail. While its a shame that you cant open up the labeled boxes of astronaut food, youll love taking in the fine detail added to screens, and rewarding yourself with a tricky zero-g journey through the entirety of the available area.
There are plenty of other apps and games that emulate space travel or take place in space (like these best PSVR space games), as well as a huge variety of other bucket list experiences. Many cost money, albeit not that much. However, if youre on a tight budget now that youve got your VR headset, another option is VR video. Again, some of these need to be paid for, but there are a huge number of free ones on YouTube (such as this spacewalk, this skydive experience, or the David Blaine balloon stunt) and within certain apps and VR storefronts.
When it comes to 360 degree VR videos, downloading is always the best option, as streaming them tends to provide a fairly low resolution. Thanks to free streaming VR videos we have (virtually) skydived, ridden a motorbike at terrifying speed, accompanied a solo explorer to the South Pole, flown above world-famous cities, traveled deep below the surface of the ocean, and much more all this without ever having to leave your house (well, once youve learnt how to set up your room for VR). While VR videos arent strictly speaking interactive, they do allow you to look all around you while enjoying the extra immersion that VR offers by default.
VR cant give you the money, knowledge, physique, or equipment that you may be missing for your dream experience. However, it can instantly bypass all those requirements to bring you very, very close. Why wouldnt you take advantage of that? Things will, after all, be virtually the same.
Today's best VR headset deals
Read the rest here:
- NASA-funded pulsed plasma rocket concept aims to send astronauts to Mars in 2 months - Space.com - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Ed Dwight, first African American candidate for space travel, takes off 60 years later - ABC News - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- 90-Year-Old Man Breaks Space Travel Record: 'Everybody Needs to Do This' - Newsweek - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Mars in a Flash: How Pulsed Plasma Rockets Are Revolutionizing Space Travel - SciTechDaily - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Ed Dwight, the First Black Astronaut Candidate in the U.S., Finally Travels to Space at 90 Years Old - Smithsonian Magazine - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Ed Dwight, America's First Black Astronaut Candidate, Makes History by Finally Reaching Space at 90 - Yahoo New Zealand News - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- After 60 years, the countrys first black astronaut candidate gets to travel to space - Washington Examiner - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Meet Ed Dwight, First Black Man Trained As Astronaut To Go To Space After 63 Years - NDTV - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- The Billionaire Space Race Heats Up With Blue Origin's Latest Launch - Robb Report - May 21st, 2024 [May 21st, 2024]
- Startups have taken big strides this year to bring back space travel - Fortune - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Isolation and annoying co-workers: Solving the stress of a trip to Mars - Astronomy Magazine - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVEILS THE FUTURE OF HUMAN SPACE TRAVEL - PR Newswire - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Space Perspective Unveils The Future Of Human Space Travel - Space Daily - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Brokaw: 'Constellation' is an unsettling story of space travel - Daily Herald - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- The New Companies Developing Tech on the Space Coast - SpaceCoastDaily.com - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- A space tourism milestone has been reached. Now, testing begins. - Travel Weekly - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Space Perspective Unveils Test Capsule, Marks Milestone in Titusville's Spaceflight Journey | TalkOfTitusville.com - Talk of Titusville - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Former West High student now heads tech startup making pharmaceuticals in space - Salt Lake Tribune - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Space travel: How does it feel to live and work on Mars? - Mint Lounge - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- NASA's Vision for the Future: A New Space Station by 2030 - Medriva - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- How antimatter engines could fly humans to other stars in just a few years - Business Insider Nederland - February 22nd, 2024 [February 22nd, 2024]
- Kam Ghaffarian's Moonshots - The New York Times - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- Tiny robot's successful first surgery could have huge implications for space travel - ReadWrite - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- Space Health Challenges and Innovations in Deep Space Travel - Medriva - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- NASA is Done Setting Fires Inside its Doomed Cargo Spacecraft - Universe Today - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- 'The Space Race' Review: Why Was NASA So White? - The New York Times - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- The New Corporate Frontier: Implications of the Space Race on Ground-Based Telescopes and Astronomical Research - Medriva - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- This Remotely Controlled Robot Will Conduct a Simulated Surgery on the International Space Station - Smithsonian Magazine - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- Canadian Astronaut Jeremy Hansen: Reflecting on Canada's Role in Space Exploration and Preparing for Artemis II ... - Medriva - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- Axiom Space's Ax-3 Mission: A Revolutionary Step in Commercial Space Travel - Medriva - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MBRSC to begin second Mars simulation mission on January 26 - SatelliteProME.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Starfield players outraged over missing space exploration feature - Dexerto - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- This Alternate Method of Space Travel in Starfield is Way More Immersive Than Menus - GameRant - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Starfield: How to space travel and scan planets - App Trigger - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Why Do Almost Half of Moon Missions Fail? Here's Why Space Is ... - Inverse - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Researchers Discover Yet Another Way That Space Travel Kills You - The Debrief - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Moon landing rekindles interest in space exploration - New Zealand Herald - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- What's it like to win a trip to space? - BBC - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- UNLV Earns NASA Awards to Bolster Space-Related Research ... - UNLV NewsCenter - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- 7 Best Ships To Unlock In Starfield - Screen Rant - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Starfield players agree that its first dozen hours are its weakest: 'OK ... - PC Gamer - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Buddhists Do Not Want Space Junk to Fall on Your Head - E-International Relations - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Will humans ever go to Mars? | Astronomy.com - Astronomy Magazine - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Unleashing Power of Tether Space Transport - Jammu Kashmir ... - Daily Excelsior - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Frustrated Starfield players say controversial low review scores are ... - Dexerto - September 3rd, 2023 [September 3rd, 2023]
- Saudi space mission to launch on May 21, first Arab woman astronaut to embark on historic journey to ISS - wknd. - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Saudi astronauts to launch space mission on May 21 - Saudi Gazette - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- First Saudi space mission to launch on May 21 with Kingdoms first astronauts - Al Arabiya English - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Flying in space would slash Sydney to London journey time to just two hours - 9News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Flights from Sydney to London take two hours with outer space ... - Innovation News Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Final Frontier for the Faithful: Islamic Rulings on Space - E-International Relations - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Twitter is still vital for the space community. A former NASA astronaut ... - Space.com - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- CNL Aims to Better Protect Canadian Astronauts Through New Project Funded by the Canadian Space Agency - Yahoo Finance - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- SpaceX Announces Seat Reservations For Space Station Travel - Traveling Lifestyle - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Axiom-2 Mission Set to Launch with Diverse Crew of Private ... - Transcontinental Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- New Mexico has surreal sand dunes, snowy mountains, space alien ... - Knoxville News Sentinel - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- To Space and Back: Students Conduct Plant Science Research on ... - ISS National Lab - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- NASA Tests Robot Snakes to Send to Other Planets - Newsweek - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- HAL 9000 Is the Most Terrifying Movie A.I. - Collider - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Space Travel Market 2023 to 2029 Industry Analysis, Growth ... - Cottonwood Holladay Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Virgin Galactic: Revolutionizing Space Travel and the Future of ... - Best Stocks - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Virgin Galactics first private space tourism flight to take off in June - Travel Tomorrow - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- NASA PC-12 to conduct aerial flights over Cleveland roadways - AviationSource News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Florida's 'Space Coast' Has Incredible Beaches, Food, and Dolphins Here's How to Plan a Trip - Yahoo Life - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fast X adds Jason Momoa to the Vin Diesel-driven franchise for the first instalment of a series finale that already feels like its spinning its wheels... - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Airstreams new travel trailer fits a swanky studio apartment into less than 17 feet of living space - The Manual - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Steven Wright, Master of the One-Liner, Tries His Hand at a Novel - The New York Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Poop falling from the sky: Here's how often that happens - CBS News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How will we react when the aliens arrive? - The Irish Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Luxury stores with the most beautiful interiors - Luxebook - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Is it really possible to travel back in time? - BBC Sky at Night Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The pros and cons of space colonization - Yahoo News - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- In space, failure is an option often the only one - Nature.com - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Virgin Galactic Announces Return to Space, Crew | - Santa Fe Reporter - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- A tour inside the Thailand's first space themed hotel - Manila Bulletin - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Buzz Aldrin named Brigadier General by Space Force - We Are The Mighty - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Virgin Orbit Failure Casts Cloud Over Space Voyages - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- OPINION: A Return to Profitability for Commercial Aviation - Avionics ... - Aviation Today - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- 12 Realistic Films About Space Travel and Making Contact With Aliens - Wealth Of Geeks - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Dont be fooled: 10 of the biggest travel myths, busted - Sydney Morning Herald - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]