
A new program aims to make a 3D tour of the International Space Station available to all.
While we’re all still a very long way from taking a vacation in deep space, SpaceVR is undertaking the goal of making a virtual tour of the International Space Station possible for everyone. According to Wired, the California-based company launched a Kickstarter this week with the goal of sending a 360-degree camera to the ISS. This camera, which is called Overview One, is designed to be constructed from components on earth as well as components that will be 3D-printed on the station itself.
The Kickstarter page tells potential backers, “Being in space and looking down at the Earth, astronauts are hit with an astounding reality: Our planet is a tiny, fragile ball of life, ‘hanging in the void,’ shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. Astronauts refer to this as the Overview Effect. 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.”
If SpaceVR is able to raise the $500,000, they will begin developing and testing the Overview One 3D camera. The camera will require many technically complex components, such as coated glass lenses, special batteries, and a way to cool the camera.
If all goes well, the company hopes to provide live streams aboard the space station very soon. A VR camera could be launched to the moon in 2017.
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