Posted by “Mere men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 20th, 1969. We came in peace for all mankind.”
Those are words etched in the annals of history that symbolize and revive a space odyssey. Now, thanks to technology, you can even hear the first expressions made by Neil Armstrong, the flag-bearer to man’s quest into space, an element that is still under exploration. A locational dimension that only astronauts can hope to enter! But then, the ground reality is different. The emergence of newer and immersive technologies are not only facilitating individuals but also empowering them to “dare” to go there. Well, physically, it may not be possible unless one has the means to get a seaton a space voyage!
The good thing is technology and the hunger to explore newer frontiers have led to advancements by those in the simulation space or those possessing a futuristic vision. This is a group of people who can be classified in many ways – right from innovators to technologists, scientists to dreamers to entrepreneurs to researchers. They have been working on technologies, materials, and domains that are bringing experiential learning into focus. And, that is what the smart gears, gadgets and applications are capable of with the help of the virtual reality (VR) technology.
A testimonial to how the VR technology is gaining popularity can be seen and heard from none other than the former NASA astronaut Charles Moss ‘Charlie’ Duke. The lunar module pilot for Apollo 16, who had the privilege of being the tenth and the youngest person to walk on the Moon, got the same “live and immersive” experience, when he sported on the Oculus Rift. This time, through a virtual ‘playful’ tour experience of the Apollo 11 spacecraft 47 years after! Such impactful was the VR experience through Oculus Rift VR gadget, that Charlie (as he is fondly called) gave a ‘Rogers’ to get that immersive experience. “The moon surface looks very good… similar to what when we went… I am really impressed!” is how he described the “fantastic and really wonderful” ground experience of getting onboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft, barring a few technology glitches. It is so complete and fulfilling that in the video, you cannot miss the reference to the 360 degree view of the VR gear made by a lady. “You can even see behind you”, she says, suggesting that Charlie can tilt or move his head around to get all-round view!
Now, the thumbs up from the former NASA astronaut measures the progressive path that VR technology offers. Don’t forget that the testimonial is from an astronaut who has logged in 4,147 hours flying time, which includes 3,632 hours in jet aircraft and 265 hours in space, plus 20 hours and 15 minutes of extravehicular activity.
Would you like to know how VR learning tool can boost experiential learning in your organization? Check out How the virtual reality technology made learning process easy or set up a call for a demo on how VR can work for you!
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLYjn8HiP1U
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Duke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong