BBC and Rewind launch A VR Spacewalk
November 30, 2017
By Nik Roseveare
The BBC and VR production studio Rewind have launched A VR Spacewalk – an interactive VR experience – available for free on the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift via the Steam Store and the Oculus Store.
Inspired by the NASA training programmes used by British astronaut Tim Peake A VR Spacewalk enables users astronauts to embark on a spacewalk 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, something only 217 people have ever done for real. They are tasked with making a repair on the outside of the International Space Station, before being confronted with a terrifying emergency situation.
Trying the experience for himself, Peake commenting: “Exploring space is something that motivates a lot of young people to enter careers in science and technology. This is a really exciting time because the new generation will have unprecedented opportunities to really fly into space. The Home Virtual Reality experience brings that opportunity even closer, in a very authentic and accessible way. I hope that having this chance to engage in such a realistic spacewalk experience will help inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and explorers.”