An astronaut can't believe this VR space game is so good

charlie duke VR
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

An astronaut who traveled to the Moon in 1972 was blown away when he repeated the trip in virtual reality, so it's a pretty safe bet that VR has gotten incredibly realistic.

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Astronaut Charlie Duke strapped on an Oculus Rift headset last year and launched on a virtual Moon mission for the "Apollo 11 VR Experience" — an educational experience that just won the award for Best Interactive Story at the 2016 Vision Summit.

"That's fantastic. Wow," Duke said. "That's really something!"

Here's how his journey went.

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The VR experience takes you through the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the Moon in 1969, which Neil Armstrong proclaimed was "one small step for mankind."

Apollo 11
NASA

Charlie Duke was the guy talking to the astronauts at the time, telling Armstrong after landing: "We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again."

Charlie Duke CAPCOM Apollo 11
NASA
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Instead of talking to Armstrong this time, he’ll be looking through his eyes after his Oculus headset is on.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

The experience starts in a room with a short video of the real astronauts who took part in the mission.

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YouTube/ImmersiveVREducation
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He's then transported outside above the Cape Canaveral launch pad, looking down on the Saturn V rocket.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

The camera comes down to ground level, and Duke looks up at the towering rocket. "That's really something," he says.

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YouTube/Immersive VREducation
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He walks over to the elevator and heads up to the capsule on top before the launch. For the VR experience, he has the perspective of Armstrong, the mission commander.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

Before the rocket fires and launches from Earth, Duke hears real voice communications from Mission Control and he begins to look around at his fellow astronauts sitting next to him.

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YouTube/ImmersiveVREducation
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After liftoff, he looks over to his right. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin gives him a thumbs-up, which he returns with a smile.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

Duke giggles to himself almost like a child playing with a favorite toy. He looks out his left window, now in space flying away from Earth.

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YouTube/Immersive VREducation
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The VR experience skips ahead a little bit and goes to a third-person perspective once the astronauts head toward the Moon. That's understandable since the real thing took 3 days.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

Now on the surface of the Moon, Duke watches as Armstrong takes his first step. On April 21, 1972, Duke personally made his own mark on the Moon on the Apollo 16 mission.

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YouTube/Immersive VREducation
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With the Earth in the background, Armstrong walks on the Moon and tells Mission Control about the powder-like ground. "The Moon surface was really good," Duke said.

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation

After the experience is over, Duke is all smiles. "That's fantastic! Really wonderful."

duke vr
YouTube/Immersive VREducation
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He comments on the realism and how close it was to the real thing: "It was very similar to what we saw. I'm really impressed," he says.

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YouTube/Immersive VREducation
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Now watch the video:

 

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