We’re in May 2018 in the control room. My VR headset is attached to my head, as I attend the launch of the Insight probe. The rocket takes off, rises into the Earth’s atmosphere, and heads toward the solar system. Six months later, I’m here on Mars.
Around me, the blazing landscape of the red planet was revealed. The InSight probe, sent by NASA, spreads its onboard solar panels and instruments from Earth in front of my eyes to study the inner structure of the planet.
educational scope
“I just watched a probe land on Mars, it’s not every day!” exclaims Laura Celes, President of the Pôle des étoiles. This is the new virtual reality app that the Nançay star group has acquired.
For 5 minutes, this activity provides you with a complete immersion in the Martian environment, from the probe takeoff to its landing. An instrument that turns out to be much more than just gravitational, because it reconstructs the position of the planet from real mission data: “There is a very present scientific background and very close to reality. The people who worked on this instrument are still affiliated with research laboratories, explains Laura Seles.
Immersion is accompanied by comments and explanations.
While immersed in the Red Planet, Laura Seles explains and comments on the expedition: “It is not just an app for fun, it allows us to provide a lot of information about mission launches, probes journeys between Earth and Mars, used instruments, etc. “,” she trusts.
“There is a scientific background that is very present and very close to reality”
So it’s a real guided tour of Mars. And the first to test it were none other than NASA scientists working on this mission: “On the videos, everyone looked happy. For scientists working on these planets, suddenly finding themselves on Mars is a dream!”, says Laura Seles.
An immersive experience that offers endless possibilities. For the Nançay Stars group, the educational impact of these tools is real. The foundation is even preparing to get another app with the persevering rover for the March 2020 mission.
Laura Low Strat
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