VR Mars Rovers

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:34 am

I'm an old-timer in Space Camp years, but there is something nobody has mentioned (ever?) in this forum: the VR Mars Rovers.

Has anyone worked in the VR Mars Rover Lab?
Do they still have the VR Mars Rover Lab?
If so, do they still use it?
If not, what has replaced it?

For those of you asking "What is the VR Mars Rover Lab?" I have an answer: Looking at the UAT from the TCF, it would be on the left - a room with lots of glass walls looking over the TCF. It, at one time, had the words "VR Mars Rover" on the glass. Anyway, inside there (used to be?) several high powered computers. Your team of two would design a rover with a programme. You would them proceed to a wooden cart, sit down, put on VR head gear, and drive your rover around to complete a mission; racing against another pair of team mates.

It was an activity that was cencelled while I was there in 1998 due to a computer glitch, however in 1999 we were able to design and drive our rovers. It was amazing!

I'll post a picture on the HAB1 (off-site) picture website if it helps:

http://spacecamp.ibnerd.net/index.php?a ... Rover.jpg&

For orientation: that's Enterprise in the background.

PS - How can I get that link to look less scary. You know, make it a word you click on instead of the whole URL?

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 12:55 pm

I have been going since 2001 and we have never done the mars rovers. We were supposed to but they were not working so we watched a movie instead. By 2002 they were not done at all. That room is now used as ISS Mission Control.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:01 pm

See this for not-so-scary hyperlinks.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:02 pm

Thanks Benji

I wonder how come they removed the VR Mars Rovers? Maybe the computers had too many glitches and so half the time the trainees would have to do something else. Too bad, it was good while it lasted!.

So what is this Space Station Mission Control all about? Is it used by ASA people during the EDM or something?

CastAway · Post by **CastAway** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:14 pm

Well, I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wanted to try the VR Mars Rover thing, but I never got to... that's just about the one thing I'm pissed at the entirety of the Space Camp organization for.

AC_Shrek · Post by **AC_Shrek** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 8:48 pm

I used them in 99....well sort of. They were buggy and didnt work all the time. Instead of using them for our competition we had to play pictionary because the lightening in the area could have fried them.

spacemusician · Post by **spacemusician** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:55 pm

when i went to ASA when the pilots did scuba i was the only one in my group that couldnt so i had to go with the another group when my track was scubaing to do the mars rover for the second time that day and its really sucked since it didnt work a lot. i mean when it was working it was pretty cool but that we really rare so we jsut palyed cards. ers like usual

MAYTAG · Post by **MAYTAG** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 9:02 pm

um i watched a movie in there last year and at that time it was just a storage room

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:02 am

A lot has changed. I went last at Christmas camp and when i went back for the 8 day week it was amazing what was done.

SamM · Post by **SamM** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:01 pm

ISS mocr....it's used during the EDM (for the 6 hour one you spend the first two hours in enterprise mocr..then two hours in iss mocr..and then two more hours in enterprise mocr_____________-but if you are the EVA/Scuba MS you get to scuba during the time when the other mocr people are in iss mocr ..and that's REALLY fun)

spacecampaddict28 · Post by **spacecampaddict28** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:59 pm

ISS Mocr Sucks! We got in trouble today for my anomaly disturbing the highly sensitive young children who couldnt suck it up and turn their volume up...grrr if the location changed it would have been better, but i was diving most of the time

SamM · Post by **SamM** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:00 pm

the dive is fun! i really didn't get to spend that much time in ISS mocr..but that was ok......i thought rule #1 was to scare the little kids

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 7:53 am

When we started our EDM the little kids were getting ready for grad. We had the whole TCF to ourselves. (unless there were parent/child there which we would not have noticed)

SamM · Post by **SamM** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:35 pm

all of the little kids were asleep when we got to iss mocr...it was late

so we couldn't freak them out..but our edm was fun anyway