Recently, NASA is cooperating with Epic Games to develop an ultra realistic VR simulator "Mars XR", which will replicate the harsh conditions of Mars in order to better train the next generation of astronauts Mars XR simulator is built using unreal engine 5 of Epic Games. It is a virtual environment jointly developed by NASA and buendea to simulate the environment on Mars, including the circadian cycle of alternating orange and blue tones, changing weather conditions, Martian gravity environment, Rovers and research terrain of more than 400 square kilometers.
NASA also launched the Mars XR challenge for this project, a new crowdfunding competition held on herox, which requires participants to build real assets and possible scenarios when stationed on Mars. By developing a Mars simulator, NASA can better prepare for the extravehicular activities of future astronauts.
SEB loze, director of virtual engine simulation business at epic games, said: "creators can use the virtual engine to build realistic simulation scenes and help NASA prepare for future missions, whether to the moon or Mars. Anyone can use ue5 to build, whether you are a game designer, architect, amateur or rocket scientist."
The Mars XR challenge is held on the crowdsourcing website herox and is open to people aged 18 and over, regardless of groups and individuals. The total bonus of the project is $70000. 20 winners will be selected in the future, with an average bonus of $3500 per winner.
According to the specific scenario, there are five categories: setting up camp, scientific research, maintenance, exploration and miscellaneous blow our minds. For the last category, participants can submit ideas about vehicles, robots, or anything you think will contribute to the first Mars mission. However, participants do not start from scratch. If they join, participants will be able to access existing assets and about 154 square miles of real Martian terrain in a dynamic environment, and experience how things are affected by Martian gravity and weather changes.
At present, various departments of NASA are full of VR / AR technology. VR / AR technology has other more important uses in NASA. For example, it turns the training of astronauts into an immersive experience. It can also visualize the 3D attempt of space launch system. What's more amazing is that VR / AR technology can create a complete planetary experience.
With the development of VR and AR technology, maybe we can land on Mars with astronauts through VR in the future. For astronauts, the journey to Mars may be a worrying journey, but VR / AR can make them the first to immerse themselves in a virtual world away from claustrophobia.