GroundControlToMajorTom | Virtual Space Exploration
Awards & Nominations
GroundControlToMajorTom has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!
The Challenge | Virtual Space Exploration
Training simulator for Moon missions
Our project aims to prepare the next generation of astronauts and NASA ground control staff for future missions on Moon. You can follow the mission from ground through a satellite or you can experience the real life mission through Virtual Reality.
Overview:
Our training simulation has 2 parts:
- Ground Control: Has a satellite view over the mission and it gives information to the Rover Control; The information it is passed by audio using the real time delay between the Moon and Earth.
- Virtual Reality Control: It has the control over the Rover and the view is where Curiosity has the Camera placed. Also for the training purpose there is another camera (observation camera) where the trainee can observe the path that he took and maybe some mistakes that he made.
Future of the project:
- Science tools for ground Control: Adding sensor reading from the rover; Image sending from moon to earth;-Terrain sampling; Adding support for multiple ground controls;
- Astronaut support: Adding support for switching from the rover to the astronaut; Adding new missions for the astronaut; Adding real life danger scenarios + time limit missions;
- Improving the Environment: Adding day/night; Adding rover solar charge + battery use; Astronaut oxygen level; Repairing the rover mission scenarios;
Challenges:
- Creating a realistic VR experience that will work on phone devices (Samsung Gear VR + Samsung Galaxy S7);
- It was a big challenge in simulating the moon gravitation and making the rover work as it is on the Moon surface;
Resources:
- Unity3D engine;
- NASA Curiosity model;
- NASA Copernicus height-map;
- Oculus SDK;
Github:
SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.