There is no denying that the view from the International Space S is spectacular. But precious few of us will ever get to visit it and catch yell enthusiastically “i can see my house from here” to the sounds of astronauts sighing, and asking to do so without taking a long and probably tiresome trip is just silly.
“Only 536 people have ever been to space; at SpaceVR we ask, what about the other 7 billion?”
Well, what about them, go on!
SpaceVR started a Kickstarter campaign today with the goal of sending a 3D, 360-degree camera to the ISS. This camera will collect footage that you can then view in virtual reality goggles. Space-views from the comfort of your home? Yes please!
Image via Kickstarter
“We have all dreamed of the stars. Imagine being able to float through the space station, experience a space walk, or even explore the Moon and Mars. Our goal at SpaceVR is to bring space exploration within reach of everyone. We are sending a 360-degree camera to the International Space Station (ISS) to collect footage that anyone can experience using virtual reality headsets. With SpaceVR, now anyone can be an astronaut!” their Kickstarter page reads.
The name of the project comes from something that astronauts refer to as the Overview Effect, the feeling that our planet is a tiny, fragile ball of life, “hanging in the void”, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere that one gets from seeing Earth from outer space.
“The idea of national boundaries vanishes, the conflicts that divide people become irrelevant, and the need to come together as a civilization to protect this “pale blue dot” becomes both obvious and imperative” SpaceVR’s pitch says.
The company doesn’t want to limit our journey to the ISS alone, either. Other goals they set for their future include:
- Live-streaming content from space to your VR headset. You can see what’s happening in orbit in real-time.
- Sending a VR camera to the moon in 2017.
- Landing a VR camera on an asteroid in 2022.
- Launching a remote controllable cube-sat VR camera system into orbit. You can not only control where the satellite goes, but also see exactly what it’s seeing from your headset!
- Going to Mars as soon as 2026.
At the time i’m writing this, the campaign has 142 backers, gathering $9,916 of the $500,000 goal.