Space VR Lets You View The Earth From Orbit in Virtual Reality [Updated]

Jealous of the astronauts on the International Space Station? Well, now you don’t have to be.

Almost everyone has had, at least for some period of time, the childhood aspiration of becoming an astronaut. While some movies such as Gravity and The Martian have been inspiring experiences for future generations of dreamers, there are people out there who think we can do even more. Those people decided to create Space VR, but they need help on Kickstarter to see the vision completed.

What is Space VR?

Space VR is an initiative that aims to give a virtual reality experience that replicates looking down at the Earth from space to the highest detail. They’ve created a special 3D camera called the “Overview One” that they want to send to the Cupola observation module of the International Space Station, which has given us a ton of amazing space shots in the past:

They plan taking pictures and footage from the module and using them to create a full VR experience of being up in space. For some footage as well as a breakdown of their aims, here’s the kickstarter pitch:

How much of the project is completed?

All the preliminary work has been completed. They have constructed a fully working Overview camera and know how to make a VR experience out of it.

So, what do they need the money for?

Well, just because everything is ready to go doesn’t mean you can go ahead with a plan. The kickstarter is asking for 100,000 dollars in order to pay to launch the necessary equipment into space. Once there, they’ll be able to capture all the necessary footage they need to create the perfect space VR experience.

It really costs 100,000 dollars to send a camera into space?

Rocket fuel is very expensive, so even something really small costs a lot to send into space. But, we honestly think it’s worth it.

How much money has the kickstarter collected?

[UPDATE: 10/7/2015] The project has been fully funded! It’s currently at about $105K.

Are there any stretch goals?

There are. The base funding will obviously allow the Space VR team to send up their camera. They will receive their data via SD cards traveling back down to Earth twice a year. However, with each $100,000 they will be able to send up more equipment that will allow for more cameras and computer equipment allowing the crew on board the ISS to compress the footage in orbit and downlink it down to Earth directly… which means we’ll get Space VR much more quickly.

When will SpaceVR launch?

They’ve projected Q2 2016. As for when they will receive the data necessary to create the virtual reality experience that depends on how much money they receive.

Which VR devices will this be for?

All of them.

How many days are left on the kickstarter?

[UPDATE: 10/7/2015] A little more than one day is left, or 33 hours to be precise. So best donate soon.

Link me to the kickstarter page.

Here it is. Enjoy!