Astronaut Zero G Training in XR

Astronaut training has been employing VR and XR technologies since the 1990s. The spatial technologies have been involved for a number of training cases, from moonwalk studies to robotic arm simulators.

Until recently, Zero Gravity experiences were found mainly in VR games, but not in real astronaut training. Starting in 2020, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been developing XR training for Zero G methods together with PaleBlue, an industrial VR company. Getting input from astronauts such as Samantha Cristoforetti and Luca Parmitano, ESA and PaleBlue have created a training simulator modeling the effects of Zero G locomotion in an XR setting, allowing simulator training for the astronauts’ work at the International Space Station.

Furthermore, parabolic flight campaigns have been employed to perform motion capture of humans in weightlessness to further improve the accuracy of virtual zero gravity motions and effects. Today, astronauts go through XR training to familiarize themselves with the layout of the International Space Station (ISS), learn to move in weightlessness, and the tool is promising in building resistance to motion sickness. ESA astronaut Marcus Wandt has recently completed VR training in the simulator and in 2024 traveled to the ISS on the Muninn mission onboard Axiom-3.

This talk will cover the topics of applying XR technologies to advanced professional training, namely preparing astronauts for the work at the International Space Station.