Tag Archives: Space

Unity with OpenVR for Vive and Oculus via SteamVR

It is straightforward to start a Virtual Reality (VR) application using Unity 5.4 for SteamVR which supports both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift head-mounted VR displays. Getting Started Tutorial: http://unity3d.college/2016/04/29/getting-started-steamvr/ Unity – SteamVR Plugin: https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/32647 Follow the above tutorial … Continue reading

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X-15 VR Experience in Unity3D

As a variant on my recent Unity3D Gerry Anderson’s Supercar-themed “Avgas, Will Travel” VR Experience for the Oculus Rift… I added a 3D model of the X-15A-2 by TaffGoch. Although, of course, the X-15 was not an orbital craft (See … Continue reading

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2001 VR Experience in Unity3D

As a variant on my recent Unity3D Gerry Anderson’s Supercar-themed “Avgas, Will Travel” VR Experience for the Oculus Rift… I added 3D models of the 2001 Space Station by Filip and the Orion III PanAm Shuttle made by Daniel M. … Continue reading

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Supercar Take Two: Avgas, Will Travel

The “Supercar: Take Two” project (“Take 2” for short) is a collaborative venture, originally started in 1998, involving a number of Supercar enthusiasts and those with an interest in Gerry Anderson productions. Its aim is to develop an on-line multi-media … Continue reading

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Space Walk – Follow along in Virtual Reality

EVA #35 on the International Space Station is a space walk performed by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and ESA astronaut Tim Peake on 15th January 2016, with a focus on the replacement of a failed voltage regulator. An animation of … Continue reading

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Eve Valkyrie Pre-Alpha Testing

Eve Valkyrie from Iceland-based CCP Games is a multi-user space shooter style game based on the Eve Universe but designed for next generation virtual reality headsets and input controllers such as the Oculus Rift. “Pre-alpha” testing for those with appropriate … Continue reading

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Apollo 11 VR Experience

Immersive VR Education have produced a virtual reality (VR) “experience” for the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. The full experience is still under development, but a free short demonstration for the Oculus Rift is available via http://immersivevreducation.com/the-apollo-11-experience/.

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VR Spacewalk at ISS

Scroll down to the “Try the ISS VR Experience” section for the web demonstration link and the download link for the Windows standalone version which will work in flat screen mode or in VR if you have an Oculus Rift … Continue reading

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Virtual Reality Experience in 10 Minutes

Scroll down to the “Try it Yourself” section for the web demonstration link and the download link for the Windows standalone version which will work in flat screen mode or in VR if you have an Oculus Rift attached. While … Continue reading

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Valkyrie Avatar

The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics is to get a NASA Valkyrie Robot in March 2016 as part of its Robotarium. The Valkyrie robotic platform was originally designed and built in 2013 to carry out search and rescue missions in line … Continue reading

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I4IS – Kickstarter – Project Dragonfly

The first international contest, run by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (I4IS), to let students shape the future of interstellar travel. More details at Kickstarter – Project Dragonfly – Sail to the Stars

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Solar Eclipse 2015

The 20th March 2015 solar eclipse path of totality passed just north of the British Isles and directly over the Faroes. In Edinburgh the eclipse started at 08:30 with a maximum of 93.2% of the Sun’s disk covered at 09:35 … Continue reading

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Ringworld in Celestia

I have previously written in a blog post about the wide range of educational space and spaceflight simulators that have been created by educators, scientists and open source user communities. One of these was Celestia and its many educational and … Continue reading

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Apollo 11 in Celestia

I have previously written in a blog post about the wide range of educational space and spaceflight simulators that have been created by educators, scientists and open source user communities. One of these was Celestia and its many educational and … Continue reading

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Supercar in Celestia

http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~bat/GA/supercar-celestia.html I have previously written in a blog post about the wide range of educational space and spaceflight simulators that have been created by educators, scientists and open source user communities. One of these was Celestia and its many educational … Continue reading

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Moon Rockets and Flying Saucers

The Moon Rockets and Flying Saucers have arrived at Space City on AiLand… thanks to the OpenSim creations of Ener Hax.

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Spacecraft Simulators

A number of educators have provided some superb space simulation environments released on a free to use basis. Community support to these has provided many add-ons with richer textures, further destinations, improved spacecraft and educational tour support. Orbiter – Space … Continue reading

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ESA Rosetta flies in OpenSim

After a journey lasting 10 years, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft will send its attached “Philae” lander to land on the surface of Comet 67P on 12th November 2014. To celebrate this occasion, I have placed a 3D model … Continue reading

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Orion – Flight Test for Future Journey to Mars

I just sent my name to fly on Orion’s flight test, scheduled to launch December 4th to 6th, 2014! Orion is NASA’s new spacecraft that will carry humans into deep space. A video of the mission and its objectives is … Continue reading

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High Fidelity Alpha Tests – Using 3D Models

3D models, such as the many free models from NASA at http://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models can be converted to FBX format – using for example the Autodesk FBX Converter – Here is an example of the simple International Space Station (ISS) mesh served … Continue reading

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Initiative for Interstellar Studies – I4IS

I4IS (http://i4is.org) is now the “Initiative for Interstellar Studies”. The previous use of the term “Institute” is not an approved name for a registered company, so when I4IS was incorporated the name had to be amended. The I4IS I-Room in … Continue reading

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Kemlo

[Text from Wikipedia – Kemlo, contributed by Austin Tate and others] The Kemlo series is a collection of children’s science fiction novels written by Reginald Alec Martin, under the pseudonym of E. C. Eliott. The first book, Kemlo and the … Continue reading

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Look Up – Look Out – Reach Out

As a child growing up with Eagle comic’s Dan Dare, E.C. Eliott’s Kemlo books and TV programmes like Gerry Anderson’s Fireball XL5… watching the first human spaceflights in my teens and following the Apollo landings while at University looking “up … Continue reading

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Space City in OpenSim

A Space City region has been prepared in OSGrid and has on it mesh models of Fireball XL5 and the Space City base, along with some other space related 3D models, all uploaded via the Collada mesh import facilities now … Continue reading

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Deep Space 1 flies in OpenSim

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Deep Space 1 was the first spacecraft to be autonomously controlled by an onboard** AI planner and execution system in the Remote Agent eXperiment (RAX). The spacecraft flew with other novel and experimental technologies such … Continue reading

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Voyager 1 in Interstellar Space

I have been following the Voyager missions since launch, and indeed was interested in them during the long lead up to the “Grand Tour” mission. In 1971, I had the collector cards for Brooke Bond’s “The Race into Space” which … Continue reading

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Learning about artificial intelligence the interstellar way

Cooper, K. and Tate, A. (2013), Learning about artificial intelligence the interstellar way, Principium, Issue 4, Page 4, March/April 2013, Institute for Interstallar Studies.

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Space-Themed Games – Space Race Blast Off – NASA Multi-player Game on Facebook

NASA have created a web-based “game” to test knowledge of science, maths and technology. It is called “Space Race Blast Off“. NASA Press Release (30-Jan-2012) Facebook App URL: http://apps.facebook.com/spacerace Stand-alone Flash App: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/spacerace/

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Space-Themed Games – Orbiter

Orbiter – Space Flight Simulator is a realistic simulation, using real world physics to provide a fun and educationally informative environment for flying spacecraft near the Earth, Moon, Mars and beyond. It was created by Martin Schweiger at UCL, and … Continue reading

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Space-Themed Games – NASA Moonbase Alpha

Another space-themed game with an educational purpose is “Moonbase Alpha” created for NASA’s Immersive Education programme and provides a game scenario with 20 minutes of play set on a hypothetical lunar outpost in 3D immersive setting. This is a proof … Continue reading

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