Nasa to use virtual reality in future Mars exploration

Virtual reality headsets will beam back to Earth what the crew on the International Space Station see. Photo / Nasa

Nasa has blasted a new piece of kit into space - a virtual reality headset that will beam what the crew on the International Space Station see back to earth.

The organisation has launched Project Sidekick, a collaboration with Microsoft's VR headset HoloLens, that it hopes will speed up repairs and research on the ISS.

In the future, it hopes to use the technology on missions to Mars and an asteroid.

Nasa last month sent two pairs of the headset to the ISS, around 354km from the earth's surface. Astronauts are expected to be using them by the end of the year.

The devices will be used in two ways. First, it will beam a crew member's view back to experts on the ground, who will be able to coach them through operations such as repairs, and "draw" on top of the astronaut's view to help them. Secondly, augmented reality software will put holographic pictures on top of an astronaut's field of vision, which Nasa says will speed up training.

"HoloLens and other virtual and mixed reality devices are cutting edge technologies that could help drive future exploration and provide new capabilities to the men and women conducting critical science on the International Space Station," said Sam Scimemi, the ISS programme's director.

"This new technology could also empower future explorers requiring greater autonomy on the journey to Mars."

Microsoft's HoloLens is one of a number of virtual reality headsets hitting the market, alongside Facebook's Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus.

The device has been promoted with gaming in mind, most recently with a demonstration of a virtual reality Minecraft game, although the technology has many other uses.

Nasa and Microsoft announced a project to allow scientists to work virtually on Mars earlier this year. They previously worked together on an "explore Mars" website.