ISS Virtual Tour: Experience the Wonder of the Space Station
Visitors to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSC VC) can now experience the wonder and excitement of the ISSInternational Space Station by embarking on a breathtaking interactive tour of the space station. The ISS virtual tour, co-developed by CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes). and NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, launched in July 2015 and debuted at KSC VC in December.
Built in 6K resolution, the ISS virtual tour covers the entire habitable area of the ISS inside and out in extraordinary detail. After examining the exterior of the ISS with the beautiful backdrop of the Earth below, visitors can go inside the space station.
As visitors “walk” through each module, they can explore “hotspots” that contain information about the hardware and facilities on the ISS. The tour also includes videos of astronauts talking about what it is like to live and work in space, and visitors can learn about current experiments onboard the ISS. The tour includes 15 scenes, more than 150 hotspots, upwards of 50 videos, and 250 images and other media.
Visitors interact with the ISS virtual tour through a mobile 55-inch touch-screen display with stereo surround sound. The ISS virtual tour is a one-of-a-kind educational tool for a wide range of large-scale audiences, making it perfect for KSC VC, which has a yearly attendance of more than one million people.
Three ISS virtual tour units are currently on display in high-traffic areas of KSC VC, and a fourth unit is being used as a traveling school exhibit for educational outreach, said Darlene Koenig, vice president of new business development at KSC.
“The ISS virtual tour is a vital new experience for our public education programs to tell the story and the ‘why’ of the ISS to the participating public who visit KSC VC,” Koenig said.
Additional ISS virtual tour displays at other venues, such as museums, schools, trade shows, retail locations, and other public places, are planned for the future. This amazing new tool will allow people of all ages to explore the ISS in a way never before possible.