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In Space, a Laptop Doubles As a VR Headset

Posted by Soulskill on from the elegant-hardware-solutions dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes: On Earth, the engineers and developers in charge of building the Oculus Rift and other virtual-reality headsets are concerned about weight: Who wants to strap on something so heavy it cricks their neck? But in space, weight isn't an issue, which is why an astronaut can strap a laptop to his head via a heavy and complicated-looking rig and use it as a virtual-reality device. NASA astronaut Terry Virts recently did just that to train himself in the use of SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue), a jetpack worn during spacewalks. (In the movie Gravity, George Clooney's character uses a highly unrealistic version of SAFER to maneuver around a space shuttle.)

4 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Up next: Apple Sues NASA... by pin_gween · · Score: 3, Funny

    for violating its patents.

    --
    Ignorance is not a crime; neither should it be a way of life

    Congress control $ = inmates run the asylum
  2. Clooney is using an MMU, not a SAFER in Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Clooney's character in Gravity is using an updated version of the old Martin-Marietta MMU, Manned Maneuvering Unit, originally used on some early Shuttle missions. It is not, no way, no how, a "highly unrealistic version of SAFER" as the idiot poster suggests. SAFER is a highly stripped down, emergency-only version of the MMU -- it compares to the MMU the way a life preserver compares to an inflatable boat with an outboard. (The wikipedia article on SAFER calls it " a small, simplified version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which was used for regular maneuvering." )

    The device used in the movie is an upgraded version of the MMU apparently with greater fuel reserves (possibly using chemical rockets rather than pressurized nitrogen thrusters).

  3. Re:inertia? by Guspaz · · Score: 2, Informative

    You're still moving that mass, regardless of how it's mounted on the head.

  4. Re:mass by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

    In space, weight's analogue is called mass, and it does matter.

    No, there is no weight in space. Weight is a force that pulls in the direction of local gravity. Yes, we use the wrong units for weight - weight is mass times acceleration (usually gravitational). So the real unit for weight is actually the newton.

    Mass is conserved, but as you enter and leave acceleration, the weight changes as the acceleration changes.

    Strap a laptop to your head on Earth and you still have to contend with the mass of the laptop (thanks, inertia!).