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MIR space station module interior

This is a long-term project, done by SoftLab in conjunction with the Russian Cosmonauts Training Centre, for NASA.

Basically, it is a Virtual Reality model of the interior of one of modules of the russian space station, MIR, designed to help NASA astronauts to get acquainted with the actual module equipment before they have to deal with the real one up there. The model is functional, that is, it models not only the look of the interior, but also the behavior of the equipment, both audio and visual.

The system consists of two workstations, connected via ethernet, namely the instructor working place (PC with Windows NT) and the trainee working place (Silicon Graphics HIGH Impact equipped with stereo glasses). It was the trainee working place software that was the VR system we made. We also made the networking.

The virtual module is filled with lots of virtual equipment having various buttons and controls. The trainee can navigate through the module and operate the controls. The state of all the controls is displayed on the instructor monitor, thus making it possible to supervise the process. The instructor can also operate the controls from his working place.

The first stage of the project have already been completed; a PC version of it (of the VR system - trainee working place) with limited functionality is available as a demo .

Limitations of the demo:

• It works on a PC, not a Silicon Graphics. It may not be considered as a limitation, actually, especially if you have no SGI. But it's worth remembering that the Silicon Graphics version provides somewhat higher fidelity
• It has no ability to connect to the instructor working place over the network
• It has no stereo

The demo is not intended as a demonstration version of the product you can buy. That is, we do not sell this particular module interior. But we can make a similar VR product for you, to meet your particular needs. Interested? - contact us.

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