Who has never dreamed of being able to navigate the cosmos by looking at the sky to answer some of the biggest existential questions?
Since the beginning of May, “Space Explorers: L’INFINI” gives you access to the first-ever spacewalk filmed in space and immerses you in the middle of the International Space Station (ISS)… And all without having to move a foot from the Earth! With an extension of the exhibition planned for the fall, the editors of atuvu.ca tell you about their exploration of the immersive experience!
An educational mission
Inspired by NASA missions, the exhibition was designed by Felix & Paul Studio and Studio Phi to allow us, thanks to virtual reality, to be part of the daily life of the astronauts who flew to the ISS. To promote knowledge, curiosity and science, the astronauts documented the station’s interior and exterior using a state-of-the-art camera [pour les connaisseurs: une caméra Z-Cam V1 Pro, équipée de neuf capteurs 4K]. Capturing these images opens up new and breathtaking views of Earth that only astronauts could experience!
Together with several visitors and equipped with a VR headset (360°), we are invited to orbit the famous ISS to meet the scientists on mission [nous pouvons également en sortir pour avoir de plus belles vues de la Terre].
As a prelude to this experience, we learn about the various astronauts who will be keeping us company. Among them we find the Quebec astronaut David Saint-Jacques (ASC) and Christina Hammock Koch (NASA), the astronaut who broke the record for the longest continuous space flight by a woman (328 days)!
The immersive experience takes place in four chapters and helps us better understand the astronauts’ goals and challenges. Driven by scientific progress and transmission, they are all in search of answers: the origin of our universe, the meaning of human existence, the possibility of living somewhere else…
With temporary visitors (around 1 hour) in space, we are well placed to thank the technological advances that encourage them. The gesture of delivery is beautiful; From there, they decided to capture images of their daily lives and open a new window on the cosmos. A life where banality becomes confusing: we meet an astronaut waking up from his nap (standing?), a scientist trying to cut her apples (flying?), and two astronauts trying to play ball (In slow motion?). Small, deeply human acts, insignificant on Earth but vital to the crew, limited to hundreds of days.
A contemplative mission
If we are lucky enough to meet the crew at this extraordinary workplace, the device is calculated to allow us to overcome the laws of physics to the end. Always equipped with our helmet, we can traverse the walls of the ISS and take a more contemplative view of Earth. Outside the spatial closure, we allow ourselves to be carried away by the infinity that surrounds us; We float above our planet, beyond our daily worries. A perspective that invites us to rethink our own vision of the planet and the life forms that exist there.
A reconnaissance mission
Floating in space is not just about putting our earthly lives on hold, but also about becoming aware of the immensity of the universe and the preciousness of planet Earth within it. And although we can’t see it with the naked eye (behind our VR screens), the astronauts evoke the signs of the planet’s ecological deterioration: air pollution that prevents us from seeing certain places, the observation of glaciers melting, and the Pollution of rivers, etc. The splendor of the images of the earth gives weight to her words and doubles the feeling of wanting to care for her.
For its part, Chapter IV is dedicated to the future of aerospace: a future that aims to be much more environmentally conscious than in the past.
“Today we can still see the footprints on the moon. »
The astronauts’ reflections show an evolution in the approach to space discovery: it is no longer about going into space unconsciously, but rather about finding new ways to approach our future in the infinity of the universe that does not simply lead the human trail rhyme with “damage” and “waste”. In other words, to find a way to achieve scientific progress for the benefit of terrestrial and EXTRA-terrestrial ecology.
When you board Space Explorers: INFINITY, you will discover magnificent images supported by an educational and conscious discourse that will introduce you to extraterrestrial exploration and make you take a step back from your own existence.
To participate in space exploration, click here. And to our delight, the immersive exhibition has announced its extension through the fall in Montreal’s Old Port!