Summary
The conquest of Mars is a real project supported not only by NASA, but also by very big names in the industry. This very ambitious project should, in the long term, make it possible to create a colony on the red planet and to install human infrastructures there to revive our neighbor while the resources of our blue planet are drying up. To advance in this conquest, MarsVR aims to create a virtual reality platform to simulate the exploration of the planet Mars.
MarsVR: crowfunding for a very ambitious platform
The crowfunding campaign conducted by MarsVR on the Kickstarter platform has already raised more than $ 30.000 out of the 27.500 needed to launch the platform in virtual reality. A real success since only 181 donors have so far generously contributed to the project. This should therefore see the light of day and propose a multiphasic program that could be qualified as being between the first astronauts on Mars and the experts in virtual reality.
The program will take place in several phases. The first will focus above all on the design of training simulators for the Mars Society's “Mars Desert” research station located in the Utah desert in the United States. Then, a high-resolution simulation of the entire habitat will be carried out both on the interior and its exterior.. A square mile of the land will be scanned and reproduced, as if it were a Martian environment. If the funds exceed the target, the experiment will be carried out over a larger area.
MarsVR wishes to develop a research tool in VR
The MarsVR project also plans to create a real research tool in virtual reality to conduct serious investigations into the various challenges of conquering the red planet. The project will be developed in Open Source to allow everyone to participate and improve the tool. The educational aspect will obviously not be forgotten. MarsVR's crowdfunding campaign offers different levels of financial participation and rewards.
These go $ 5 to obtain a certificate of participation of $ 5.000 or more that will allow one to become a member of the crew and make a team rotation in the "Mars Desert" research center which is located in the desert of Utah. This will allow you to stay 5 days and 4 nights in the simulator. For the less rich, 10 dollars will entitle you to a digital poster. By offering 30 dollars you will get a special key to unlock content on Steam. For 50 dollars of participation, you will obtain a metal medallion bearing the logo of Mars Society. For 100 dollars, you will be entitled to early access to the virtual reality environment. Finally, for a $ 400 collaboration, you'll be able to become a developer on MarsVR with exclusive access.
