SpaceBuzz in action: Rocket shaped simulator enabling virtual journey to space touring Czechia
People around the country can now experience a trip into space through virtual reality. A special rocket-shaped simulator called SpaceBuzz is touring the country, offering visitors a chance to embark on a virtual space mission and view Earth from the perspective of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
The 18-metre-long white structure resembling a spacecraft is mounted on a mobile truck and visitors climb up a set of steps to its interior for the unique experience of leaving the Earth’s orbit. Inside, nine seats rotate and vibrate to simulate launch conditions, while VR headsets and headphones immerse visitors in a 360-degree experience narrated by Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda.
The project aims to showcase Czech space activities and Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda’ s planned flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2027, during which he is expected to pilot a Dragon spacecraft operated by the US company SpaceX.
Svoboda personally attended the tour’s launch in the town of Krnov from where it is travelling to a number of towns and cities around the country to give as many people as possible a chance to experience it.
“We want to support education programs at all levels and above all to inspire an interest among children and students in the so called STEM subjects i.e. science, technology, engineering, and maths,” Svoboda says.
SpaceBuzz producer Tereza Dvořáková describes the experience:
“When visitors are strapped into their seats, the simulated take-off starts and the rocket shakes vigorously. Visitors get a unique glimpse of outer space. They experience space storms, see space clouds and asteroids and realize how fragile Planet Earth looks from above. They even see the Czech Republic. Most people leave with a very special feeling. Astronauts call it the “overview effect” and it is a sudden strong desire to protect the Earth. It is a feeling that is difficult to describe.”
Twelve-year-old Radek was one of the first schoolchildren to experience the space trip in Prague.
“We could see the Earth in the VR headsets, all of it, we saw how beautiful it looked surrounded by the Northern lights, and then we flew to the Moon.”
The interest in visiting the SpaceBuzz craft is huge and it only stops in each city for a single day, with the morning reserved for schools and the afternoons open to the general public.
Prague Deputy Mayor Jaromír Beránek says the city is keen to support interest in space exploration.
“Space research and support for these activities bring a whole range of innovations that benefit us all. It is important that Prague, a city that is home to the European Space Agency, shows young people how much can be gained from it.”
The project is a joint initiative of the Ministries of Industry, Defence and Education, in cooperation with observatories and planetariums in Prague and Brno. The simulator was brought to the Czech Republic from the Netherlands and will continue its tour across the country.
