NASA has been paying a lot of attention to the VR and AR space. The space agency is looking to harness these technologies as a way to let consumers engage with space exploration more and more often. In a recent venture, the agency now lets consumers explore exoplanets in VR.
The NASA Exoplanet Travel Bureau is Here
One has to commend NASA for getting consumers engaged in space exploration. That situation has been very different until not that long ago. The NASA Exoplanet Travel Bureau is a venture very few people expected to see in their lifetime. Being able to explore various discovered exoplanets in virtual reality is a major breakthrough for all parties involved.
This new venture by the NASA serves as an interactive and exploration-oriented 360-degree visualization tool of Kepler’s exoplanet discoveries. For example, users can discover exotic locations such as 51 Pegasi b, Kepler-186f, and Super Earth HD 40307g. All it takes is a compatible VR headset, as the application appears to support all major headsets – including mobile and stand-alone units – at this time.
NASA explained their decision as follows:
“We live in a universe teeming with exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. Unfortunately, even the nearest exoplanets are light-years away, so sending spacecraft and humans to these intriguing worlds remains a distant dream.But on NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration website, you can explore an imagined surface of an alien world via 360-degree, interactive visualisations.”
One has to keep in mind the visual renderings of these locations are an artist’s impression. As no one has ever set foot on any of these exoplanets, it is not accurately possible to bring their landscape to VR. Even so, it is a worthwhile venture for VR enthusiasts who want to explore exotic locations in space.
Header image courtesy of Shutterstock
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