The International Space Station has been in orbit for over six thousand days, and while our knowledge about it is quite extensive, only a few privileged people can actually visit it, leaving a constant question floating over our heads: What is it really like? NASA helped us answer this question with a 3D tour, and now the European Space Agency presents a virtual tour in 360 degrees, full of additional details about each module and its equipment.
It is one of the most spectacular international projects ever undertaken, a great hope for accelerating space exploration, an abundant source of science, and basically the dream of every astronaut right now. It is estimated that the International Space Station will remain in orbit for about ten more years, and both the United States and Russia have announced a collaboration agreement to develop its replacement, but that is still a bit far on the calendar. What interests us is getting to know the station up close "today", and to achieve that, the new virtual tour offered by the European Space Agency is our best option.
Exploring the Station in 360 Degrees
Thanks to the available controls, visitors can access each of the connected modules in the station, rotate in 360 degrees, and zoom in on different details. During navigation, we also find additional icons that open a special window with extra information, or a pop-up with a video. From what I've seen so far, the host of the videos is Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who was part of the crew on Expeditions 42 and 43, while in other clips we see Dutch astronaut André Kuipers, from Expeditions 30 and 31.
This virtual tour is currently in version 1.0, meaning we'll see much more added material in the near future.
Hidden Details and Curiosities
The rest depends on our own curiosity. For example: At one of the intersections we can read "To HAB", but through its window we see (unless I'm wrong) the Earth. If I recall correctly, HAB is a reference to the Habitation Module cancelled due to budget problems and delays associated with the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. Also there are all the patches left in the station by previous expeditions, and even in a frame appears Scott Kelly floating. If you can spare a few minutes, I assure you this virtual tour is worth it.
