On July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the surface of the moon thanks to the Apollo 11 spaceflight mission.
Forty-six years later, Austin Hooper, who records videos of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and shares his experiences on YouTube and Twitch, had his father try VR for the first time. He probably wasn't expecting such an emotional reaction.
Hooper gave his dad the second development kit for the Oculus Rift, also known as Oculus DK2, and loaded up a VR demo of the famous Apollo 11 space mission, where you can experience what it's like launching into space, entering into orbit around the earth, and of course, standing on the lunar surface during Armstrong's famous "One small step for man" speech.
"It's the coolest thing ever, dude," he tells his son.
While orbiting the earth, looking down at all the lights in North America, his dad starts crying.
"I'll never get to do this but here. This is incredible. I've wanted to do this since I was a kid. I wanted to be an astronaut, son. ... Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
The biggest reason to try an Oculus Rift, or virtual reality in general, is to see things you may never experience, and immerse yourself in that world. With this device, you can be transported anywhere you could imagine. And for Hooper's dad, visiting space fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Check out the full video below. Hooper's dad starts feeling overwhelmed at the 0:58 mark, and visits the moon at around 4:48.
