Thousands of South Australians will soon be able to walk on the moon.
Visitors to Adelaide City Council’s City Library will be among the first in the world to experience the Apollo 11 spaceflight and walk the same steps as legendary astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Using a HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset, members of the public can enter and exit the spacecraft, explore the craters of the moon and collect their own lunar material, all without leaving the Earth’s atmosphere.
It is one of 10 experiences available for free to the public at the City Library’s innovation lab, as part of the new virtual reality program launching at 6pm this Friday 18 November.
Other experiences include travelling to places and landmarks around the world which were previously out of reach, such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Guatemala.
City Library is believed to be the state’s only venue offering free, ongoing access to virtual reality technology.
Technologies available for use by the public include the world-leading HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR through to the affordable Google Cardboard.
Following the launch, City Library will be holding come-and-try virtual reality sessions in its innovation lab, from 3pm to 6pm every Wednesday afternoon.
As part of the virtual reality program, the City Library will host “innovator in residence” Daish Malani. The virtual reality and 3D specialist is assisting with the setup of the program and technology and will help train library staff and volunteers to run the program.
Adelaide City Council Manager of Culture and Lifelong Learning, Anne Rundle, said Council was proud to deliver programs that introduce new technology and provide equal access of information to the community.
“The cost of virtual reality technology can be prohibitive to the average family so it’s important that Council is able to provide the associated educational opportunities with all people,” she said.
“Virtual reality is immersive, in that it eliminates all distractions, and provides immediate engagement which is important in today’s world of limited attention spans.
“While conventional learning often stimulates just one sensory system at a time, the Apollo 11 spaceflight and moonwalk experience incorporates vision, hearing, balance and movement to suit people of all learning styles.”
For more information about the launch event visit www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/virtual-reality-launch
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