How astronauts train for a worst-case spacewalk

Underwater space stations, Mars rover simulators, and space walk VR: NASA has built quite the futuristic playground to help its astronauts prepare for missions. Loren Grush visits NASA’s simulations lab and tries some scary space scenarios out for herself.

This is an episode of The Verge’s original series Space Craft, and we thought you’d like to see it here at Verge Science!

[VergeScience]

How do you think VR could help other aspects of space exploration?

[Mazgic]

someone needs to stick a couple of gtx graphics card in that rover 4realz

[sukhrajsingh]

All this done with less than 0.5% of the US budget and people still freak out over the “waste of money”. ‘Murcia

[BiskviLover]

"Oh hey, that's me."
I expected you to say "You're probably wondering how I got here."

[MilezAwxy]

Damn. This new Kerbal Space Program update looking good...

[RRProducoesPT]

"You dont want to go too fast!!"
"Oh, I'm I going too fast??"
"No"....

[xBris]

4:34 you wouldn't re-enter earth's atmosphere. You'd float around the earth in a pretty stable orbit for a very very long time ;)

[therealAZLN]

You have to remember that the technology behind these simulations are a few years old (having trained nearly a decade's worth of missions) and NASA is running on one half of one percent of the country's budget. The graphics are gonna look more like KSP than the real thing, but they do the job.

[odin_]

Things like this really put into perspective just what astronauts have to be prepared to deal with while they're above our heads. Space is empty, cold and exceptionally cruel. While I would never in a million years want to face that, I have a ton of respect for those brave enough to do so

[MilezAwxy]

5:38 oh too sad Jebediah ran out of monopropellant. :(

[lilganci]

Dem astronauts when they face a problem they had trained before:





"Just like the simulations."

[notavalible]

”Astronauts wont go to mars for many years”

SpaceX: *hold my beer*

[stefanosk]

4:13 If you going to Mars, you should consider upgrading from Windows XP first. Just saying.

[taxman]

"We are gonna drive some spaceships", can I have my 70 IQ back now or later?

[ChinmayaNagpal]

The rover parts weren't edited/shot that well but this was a fun video

[neutronstar]

7:21 admin, she's doing it sideways.

[CintreuseGrande]

I love these videos, your channel is amazing! Keep up the awesome science reporting

[idontknowman]

they'll get so many good astronauts in some years, what they do is basically like a very easy videogame

[AntimatePcCustom]

possible for this simulator to be installed on home brew VR desktops? that could be cool to try :P

[j.r.fields]

man that simulation was cool, it was like being there...I'd love to do that