Ever dreamed of blasting off into space?
Well, NASA is really stepping it up these days, finding creative ways to entertain people under quarantine without having to leave the comfort of their sofa.
Case in point: the slew of virtual and augmented reality tours that the space agency offers on its website.
Whether you want to check out the International Space Station (you should) or have always dreamed of stepping into the Armstrong Flight Research Center in California (we have), there is a tour for you.
Here, we highlight eight of them. Our suggestion? Try them all.
Hubble Space Telescope Mission Operations Center
Another 360-degree virtual tour, this one of the Space Telescope Operations Control Center, which is found at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
International Space Station
Sunita Williams is the astronaut that will take you on this awesome tour of the International Space Station. Did you know that people have lived and worked here for over two decades?
Commercial Crew Program 360-Degree Virtual Reality Tour
To launch astronauts into space on American-built rockets and crafts, NASA makes full use of its Commercial Crew Program. This tour delves into the thick of that process.
Next Stop: The Stratosphere
Meet SOFIA: the Administration’s flying observatory, which is “a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 106-inch telescope.” Ready to explore it?
NASA’s Exoplanet Excursions
On this virtual tour, you’ll be able to actually control the famous Spitzer Space Telescope yourself. How cool is that? In addition to that, tour TRAPPIST-1, the star system that’s home to seven “earth-size exoplanets orbiting a star that is only a little larger than Jupiter.”
Exoplanet Travel Bureau
On this one, you get to indulge in 360-degree views of planets of other stars.
Go for Flight
We dare say this is one of the most interesting tours out there. Available through Google Expeditions, you’ll get to visit the main building home to the Armstrong Flight Research Center, plus a control room, an aircraft hangar and the back-ramp area where last-minute preparations take place before a blast-off.
Langley Research Center
Langley is the Administration’s oldest field centre (it’s been leading aeronautics research since 1915), so it’s about time we get to see inside of it.
Looking for more ways to explore the world from your sofa in the UAE? We’re rounding up loads of top ways to spend Time In, here for Dubai, here for Abu Dhabi and here for Sharjah.
