Why a simulation of the Moon?

Where did you get the information to create your Virtual Moon?

Why are there references to Virtual Reality and VR Head Mounted Displays (HMD) on your website?

Can you really do Virtual Reality on a desktop PC? What equipment would you need?

Are there really that many people interested in the Moon?

Are there any other uses for this product?

What does RADE stand for?

What is the minimum PC configuration needed to run Virtual Moon?

What can the average person do to help promote Space Exploration?

Q: Why a simulation of the Moon?

A: Because we got tired of waiting. Back in 1969, when I was 10 years old, I stayed up all night to watch the live broadcast of the first human steps on the Moon. Much of the excitement of that event was from a foolishly optimistic dream that at some point I would get a chance to visit the Moon myself. Well, as we all know, that did not turn out to be the world that we created in the intervening 3 decades. So, when the dial turned on the year 2000, I recalled that magical moment in time when I was swept up in a dream. And suddenly I felt angry. I felt angry at NASA, I felt angry at America and the entire world. I was angry because they had failed to make MY dream come true. It was then that I realized that I had no reason to be angry with anyone. After all, I thought, what had I done personally to help bring about the future that I had imagined? I had done absolutely nothing ! So I really had no right to be angry. What I needed to do was to get involved; to find some way to participate and contribute. I had no formal education in aerospace technology or science background or anything at all that I could immediately apply to this new effort. I figured that anything I could do, no matter how small or insignificant would be better than doing nothing at all. The important thing was that I was finally taking some responsibility for creating the future that I most desired.

So I joined a couple of organizations that had similar ideas to my own: The Space Frontier Foundation, the Moon Society and Pro-Space. I also began going to schools in my area and talking to kids about how important space is to our future and theirs. I began going to Washington DC to lobby Congress every March about space issues. I found there were many opportunities available to me once I decided to get involved.

However, the question of how soon I will get to go to the Moon remains unanswered. What if it doesn’t happen? What if it happens too late? I really want to experience what it’s like to go to the Moon. So, the next best thing would be to use state of the art technology to simulate the Moon. And that’s how the Lunar Explorer Virtual Moon was created.

Q: Where did you get the information to create your Virtual Moon?

A: We used a number of different sources. High resolution photography of the lunar surface was taken during the Apollo missions and later by Clementine. The Clementine stereo photography pairs and laser altimeter data were later processed into a global Digital Elevation Map (DEM) of the entire surface. This data was really too coarse to allow the creation of a detailed and realistic simulation. What we had to do was to create synthetic layers of high resolution detail and superimpose those on top of the low resolution global DEM.

We also collected enormous amounts of information on all the Apollo missions and the EVA experiments performed, the equipment used, detailed design documents for the lunar rover and Apollo Lunar Modules, etc. We even collected all available information on the Russian unmanned missions. Every lunar site where equipment was sent or left by the missions of the 60s and 70s has been recreated. Think of these as tourist attractions.

The end result is that we have a Moon simulation which is based on the best and highest resolution data available to us today. It is as close to the real thing as is possible at this point in time.

Of course, we are also looking ahead. The Virtual Moon Simulation is built in such a way that, when better, higher resolution data becomes available from future missions such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), we can very easily slip the new data sets into the simulation with very little or no development required.

Q: Why are there references to Virtual Reality and VR Head Mounted Displays (HMD) on this website?

A: Lunar Explorer was developed from the start as a fully immersive Virtual Reality experience. The current Version 1.0 that we have been shipping, (the one that you actually receive when you order Lunar Explorer) is ready to support a 3D stereoscopic fully immersive headset (HMD) with head position-tracking sensor. That means that if you owned the HMD device, you could plug it into your computer or laptop and you could have a Virtual Reality stroll on the Moon in your home! We have taken this equipment to various conferences and to our presentations at NASA Centers. With this Virtual Reality HMD, you are on the Moon! Wherever you look, what you see is the Moon. The head-tracking sensor updates the position of your head 60 times a second and the computer adjusts the image you are seeing, in real time. Also, because we drive two separate displays simultaneously (one for the left eye and one for the right eye) all the images and objects you see are in 3D - you feel like you can just reach out and grab the object in front of you. 

In the future, when Head Mounted Displays become available at consumer prices, you will be able to simply get an upgrade to interface Lunar Explorer to whatever devices become popular in the market. 

Q: Can you really do Virtual Reality on a desktop PC? What equipment would you need?

A: The Virtual Moon Simulation was developed to run on a full VR system. At a minimum, that requires a stereo headset display, and a head-tracking sensor. Commercially available stereo headsets just are not adequate for the image quality and resolution that this simulation requires. Stereo headsets with the level of performance needed are way too expensive for the typical consumer.

We understand that full VR systems will not be generally available to the public for a few years. Initially, people will be able to buy and run the Virtual Moon Simulation on their home PCs. Of course, without the VR equipment we talked about before they can only use their computer display to show the Moon simulation. They will still see an incredibly realistic and convincing image of the Moon but they will not feel “immersed” in the environment. However, we are also developing complete VR Simulation public exhibits that we will install in Science Centers, Museums, and Planetariums around the country. You will be able to get the “full VR Portal experience” at these locations. Check back with our website for announcements about locations that will be installing VR Moon Simulation for public access.

There are many cool things planned for these installations. One that we can share with you at this point is the use a motion platform that will simulate the feel of driving a lunar rover by providing all the motion cues that one would experience if we were actually driving a lunar rover on the Moon.

Q: Are there really that many people interested in the Moon?

A: We are betting a lot of money and effort in creating this product that the answer is yes. We have some market information that indicates that there are many people with a very strong interest in the Moon.

Another important aspect is that the Moon is going to increasingly become the focus of many media stories and the target of a growing number of future missions. It is our belief that this trend will grow over the next 10 to 20 years.

Finally, the “coolness” factor of the new RADE technology in terms of the level of realism and the incredible power and capability it brings to our project, will in itself become a very important selling point. We believe people will buy the simulation even if they don’t have a great interest on the Moon; they will buy it simply because there will be nothing like it anywhere else.

Q: Besides just an interesting simulation that people can enjoy, are there any other uses for this product?

A: Yes. Because of the groundbreaking performance and capability that is available with the RADE technology, we are planning to create specialized applications based on the simulation platform for education, scientific data visualization, and a number of other areas that we cannot yet disclose.

Q: What does RADE stand for?

A: RADE is a proprietary software architecture developed by our partner company VirtueArts. It is both very powerful and very efficient (that’s how we can run a simulation of the ENTIRE Moon on a regular desktop PC).

The acronym RADE stands for Rapid Application Development Environment.

Q: What is the minimum PC configuration needed to run Virtual Moon?

A: A standard Pentium PC, 2.5 MHz or better, with a good video card should be all you need. The video card is important. The better the video card the more features you can turn on and still run at full frame rates. We recommend a 128MB Nvidia as a very good card at reasonable prices.

Q: Your website talks about inspiring people to take action. What can the average person actually do to contribute or participate in Space Exploration?

A: That is a great question. And the fact that you are asking it is very encouraging. It shows that you are at least considering what you can do yourself. Well, it turns out there is a lot that you can do. Just to give you a few ideas off the cuff so to speak: The first thing you can do is to educate yourself about Space and how critical it will be to our future; Secondly, you can talk to your friends and family about Space and help them to see its importance in all our lives; Thirdly, you can contact your senator or representative in Washington and let them know that Space is important to you; Fourth, you can join a group or organization that is helping to make Space a reality for all of us (any of the organizations we list in the Links page is a good start); Fifth, if you are young and considering what to do with your life, you might want to consider a career in a space related field; Also, if you like speaking to school children or speaking in public you can go to schools and share this information with students of all ages; Sixth, you could participate in a citizen's lobbying drive in Washington sponsored by the NSS or Pro Space or some other legitimate advocacy group.

More questions:

If you have a question on anything you have seen on our website, or about the Moon, or any other related question, please feel free to contact us. We love hearing from you and will do our best to answer every question in a timely fashion.