I found myself standing on JAXA’s Hayabusa2 asteroid lander through a virtual reality experience at the 2024 Astronomical Society of Australia’s Annual Scientific Meeting. The meeting was held online, utilizing the Spatial platform to provide attendees access to the conference in VR. The virtual venue was created by The Future of Meetings, offering poster halls, exhibition halls, meeting rooms, and a lecture theater for participants to explore.
Initially hesitant about attending a conference in VR due to being a skeptic of the technology, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to stand on an asteroid like Ryugu. The experience felt like jumping into a Super Mario 64 portrait as I landed on the surface of the asteroid. The Ryugu model was created by OmniScope using real imagery captured by Hayabusa2, providing a realistic representation of the landing zone.
Elizabeth Tasker, a professor at JAXA, mentioned that while it’s challenging to determine if the topology of Ryugu is to scale, the models of Hayabusa2, the lander, and rovers are accurately represented. The virtual experience allows for a closer examination of the spacecraft’s features, such as target markers and impactors, which wouldn’t be as effective in a PowerPoint presentation.
The VR tour of Ryugu World offered a unique perspective on space exploration, emphasizing the ability to visit unreachable worlds through data and observations. Tasker highlighted the importance of these virtual experiences in understanding planetary science and appreciating the challenges of landing on distant asteroids.
Despite the limitations of the virtual environment, such as the inability to walk across the entire asteroid surface, the immersive experience provided a profound appreciation for the complexities of space exploration. Standing on the VR surface of an asteroid triggers a sense of awe and wonder, reinforcing the significance of scientific research and discovery in understanding our universe.
Overall, the virtual reality experience at the Astronomical Society of Australia’s Annual Scientific Meeting showcased the potential of VR technology in expanding our knowledge of space and planetary science. By simulating distant worlds like Ryugu, researchers and enthusiasts alike can explore new frontiers and gain a deeper understanding of the cosmos.
