From a Dream to Virtual Reality: The ISS Experience
After completing the first of 10 spacewalks to upgrade the station, astronaut Christina Koch wrote: "The great @Space_Station battery swap series of spacewalks is underway! A joy & privilege working with @AstroDrewMorgan outside, @astro_luca as the lead for suits & airlock, @Astro_Jessica as robotic arm operator, & the incredible teams in Houston. 3 batteries complete, 9 to go!"
Media Credit: NASA
Most of us at one point in our lives have dreamed of what it’s like to be an astronaut on a mission in space. Pictures of astronauts on the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) provide a glimpse into life onboard the orbiting laboratory, but what does it really feel like to live and work in space? What is it like to maneuver through microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. conditions every day, and how does it feel to step out on a spacewalk and look back at Earth below?
TIME, in collaboration with Felix & Paul Studios, seeks to capture this unique experience for viewers back on Earth through a virtual reality (VR) series currently being filmed onboard the ISS. The series, “The ISS Experience,” is being produced using specialized VR camera systems designed to operate in microgravity and will include the first-ever filming of a spacewalk in cinematic VR.
In a recent episode of NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center’s “Houston We Have a Podcast,” Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael, co-founders and creative directors of Felix & Paul Studios, discuss their work on “The ISS Experience” project, which is sponsored by the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. Listen to the podcast on NASA’s website and view “The ISS Experience” trailer below!
Video courtesy of TIME