From: "Andrew Yee, Science North" Subject: INDUSTRY: European Space Agency Virtual worlds Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1993 23:51:16 GMT Organization: Science North Crossposted by Kai Jaa-Aro, in Sweden, from sci.space.news. Thanks. European Space Agecny Press Information Note No. 16-93 Paris,France 14 June 1193 VIRTUAL WORLDS The technological advances of the last few years, particularly in electronics and informatics, have led to the development of real-time imaging and more recently to the advent of virtual reality. The simulation unit at the European Space Agency's Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC, in the Netherlands) has since 1991 been investigating virtual reality, which is recognized as a new simulation technique of undoubted interest for space applications. The benefits of this new technology will be presented at the Paris air show, at the ESA pavilion, where three demonstration programmes will offer an opportunity to journey into virtual worlds. Journey on the Surface of Mars Exploring our solar system using semi-autonomous craft, as part of a mission to Mars, for example, would obliviate the need to expose astronauts to hostile conditions. Using virtual reality techniques it will be possible to control, from the Earth or from an orbiting spacecraft, the movements of a rover on the surface of the red planet. This technique is known as "telepresence" and involves the operator receiving the information needed to feel immersed in this distant environment (use of stereovision) and able to control the vehicle's movements intuitively. Extravehicular Activity Here the operator performs extravehicular activity outside the Russian Mir space station. Thanks to simulation of the space sled the operator can carry out various tasks while experiencing the effects of weightlessness. Using virtual reality it will thus be possible to define procedures for intervention by astronauts on future space stations. Ocean Observation Earth observation satellites, such as ERS-1, generate huge volumes of scientific data. By means of real time imaging, scientists are now able to visualize that data in three dimensions and travel through these worlds, which are at one and at the same time virtual and real, in order to locate interesting phenomena such as variations in sea level as determined by the topography of the ocean floor.