NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launches VR Experiences, Headset

• By Richard Chang
• 01/12/17

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has launched a suite of official virtual reality (VR) experiences, as well as a new, custom-designed Space Visor mobile virtual reality headset.

Utilizing three mobile applications, the Space Visor immerses guests in a space experience like no other, a news release said, virtually taking visitors to restricted access areas, captivating them in a world that brings the artifacts to life and allowing guests to take the Visitor Complex home to share their experience with others.

Delaware North, operators of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, collaborated with Orlando, FL-based VR technology partner brandVR to create content that was deemed compelling and approachable for all audiences. Once guests purchase the headset, they may download three applications: KSC 360 Expedition, Space Dreams and Edge of Home, available on Android and iOS, and found at the Kennedy Space Center site. The cost is $59.99.

Here are some more details on the applications available for the Space Visor:

Edge of Home: Viewers can see the International Space Station as only astronauts have seen. In this application, users can take part in a space walk around the outside of the space station, learning facts and figures about each module.

KSC 360 Expedition: This application encompasses all parts of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Uses are prompted to learn facts about each rocket in the Rocket Garden, gaze at the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it floats in orbit, take a ride on the moon in a lunar rover at the Apollo/Saturn V Center and sit in the commander seat of the Mercury-Atlas 8, Gemini 9 and Apollo 14 spacecrafts where users can see every switch, gauge and lever as only astronauts have.

Space Dreams: Viewers can enter the room of a space-inspired child and learn facts and figures about the solar system from the galactic-themed décor, which includes each planet, a Mars rover and a Mercury spacesuit.

“The immersive atmosphere is really something we’re striving for here at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,” said Therrin Protze, the complex’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “We want our guests to feel space, not just come and see it. Virtual reality makes that experience come alive.”

“Our goal in supporting Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was to allow people from all walks of life to experience what it’s like to be in space and to see things they’ve never seen before,” said Mahmoud “Moody” Mattan, co-founder and CEO of brandVR, in a statement.

The Space Visor is sold at the Visitor Complex’s space shop and online at the Kennedy Space Center site.