vr international space station

National Geographic Capture 1st VR Aboard International Space Station

National Geographic launches an extension to its critically acclaimed series ONE STRANGE ROCK, with the first-ever virtual reality (VR) 3D experience captured aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Users can take an unprecedented virtual tour of the ISS by downloading ISSVR on all major VR headsets starting today or by viewing the 360-degree video below on National Geographic’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

From executive producers Darren Aronofsky and Jane Root, ONE STRANGE ROCK tells the extraordinary story of Earth, told through the only people who have ever left it: astronauts. To bring the astronauts’ viewpoint even closer to those on Earth, National Geographic partnered with VR experts Humaneyes Technologies to deploy the Vuze VR camera, the first 3D-360-degree VR camera that captures professional-quality VR video and audio to make VR content creation accessible to everyone. The Vuze VR Camera was selected by National Geographic and NASA after rigorous vetting. At 244 miles above Earth, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli used the Vuze VR Camera to record everything he heard, saw and felt in the ISS’ working and living quarters along with the stunning sight from the observation deck.

ISSVR is narrated by ONE STRANGE ROCK former astronauts Chris Hadfield, Mae Jemison, Mike Massimino and Nicole Stott, and it exhibits Nespoli’s experience aboard, giving the user the freedom to look around, glide past high-tech experiments and witness astronauts at work and play as they simultaneously share how life in space has impacted their worldview.

ONE STRANGE ROCK gives viewers an enlightened perspective of our magnificent planet, and ISSVR brings them even closer to understanding the larger, intricate forces that we are part of,” says Kyle Christensen, VP of Digital Strategy for National Geographic. “Our purpose in creating ISSVR is to draw people into what makes our experience on Earth exceptional and bring renewed excitement to science and human exploration.”

“We were thrilled when the Vuze VR Camera passed the test to go to space. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the genuinely immersive experiences the camera creates, allowing viewers to feel as if they were on the ISS themselves,” says Shahar Bin-Nun, CEO of Humaneyes Techonologies. “Plus, its lightweight, compact and durable size proved to be the perfect companion for astronauts to quickly document their day without burdening the crew with additional or complicated camera rigs.”

In addition to the Vuze VR Camera, Nespoli used the Red Camera to capture high res, cinematic quality film of Peggy Whitson, the first female Space Station Commander. The Red Camera enabled him to capture images with over 9x more pixels than HD, giving him more refined and detailed images than a lower resolution camera. He chronicled her final day aboard the ISS during her recent record-breaking space mission, documenting her day-to-day life and work before she returned to Earth. The incredible sequences shot with the Red Camera will be exclusively revealed in the final episode of ONE STRANGE ROCK airing on Monday, May 28 at 10/9c.

Hosted by Will Smith, ONE STRANGE ROCK is a mind-bending, full-sensory journey that explores the fragility and wonder of our planet. It’s the extraordinary story of why life as we know it exists on Earth, brought into perspective by the only people to have left it behind: astronauts. This 10-part series, which was filmed across 45 countries, on six continents and from outer space, reveals the twists of fate that have allowed life to emerge, survive and thrive on Earth. ONE STRANGE ROCK airs on National Geographic on Mondays at 10/9c.

Click here for the official ISSVR press kit.

ISSVR was produced for National Geographic by Black Dot Films VR. It is available on all major VR headsets including PlayStation VR, Oculus, Microsoft Mixed Reality, Samsung Gear VR and Vive, as well as National Geographic’s YouTube and Facebook channels and VR app LittlStar: https://littlstar.com/national-geographic. Join the conversation on social media by following @NatGeoChannel and using #OneStrangeRock.

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About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 129 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education.

Author: VR Reporter

I am a hi-tech enthusiast, VR evangelist, and a Co-founder & Chief Director at Virtual Reality Reporter!

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