We've just recently seen a 3D printer sent into space to bolster the capabilities aboard the International Space Station, and if a new Kickstarter project goes as its creators hope, that printer could soon have a role in building a 360-Degree, 3D camera to capture immersive images of space.
As SpaceVR, the company behind the Kickstarter, explains, the images captured by the camera would then in turn be used to create a virtual reality experience designed give people back on Earth a better idea than ever of what it's like to be aboard the ISS. According to SpaceVR, that will be compatible with all current VR headsets, including Oculus, Gear VR, and Google Cardboard.
The 3D camera itself (known as Overview One) wouldn't be made entirely on the ISS, of course. Some of the parts will need to be sent up on a cargo shipment, which is part of the reason for the rather hefty $500,000 Kickstarter goal. The folks behind SpaceVR also certainly aren't lacking in ambition. If the ISS mission proves to be a success, they hope to eventually send VR cameras to the moon and an asteroid (even Mars further down the road), and also launch a CubeSat that could be controlled from Earth and send back VR-ready video.
Before any of that happens, though, they'll have to get that first $500,000 on Kickstarter which, as of now, is still quite a ways out of reach. They do already have a few high profile backers, however, including Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell and game developer/space tourist Richard Garriott.
