“Space Explorers: Infinity”: David St. Jacques is back in space
Astronaut David St. Jacques, who spent more than 200 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), relives the milestone in his life as a scientist thanks to a virtual reality experience. Space Explorers: INFINITY.
The 53-year-old engineer, astrophysicist and family physician makes “a great travel album” for him, he said Thursday during a press tour of the stunning immersive cruise held in the Old Port of Montreal.
Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
Co-founder and Creative Director of Felix & Paul Studios, Félix Lajeunesse, with astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
Two years after the world premiere presented in the capital, the general public of Quebec can enjoy a journey emblazoned with new images shot outside the International Space Station, in 3D and 360-degree virtual reality.
On Thursday, QMI participated in a 45-minute immersive course. Equipped with a virtual reality helmet with earphones, the reporters visited the International Space Station and rubbed shoulders with an international team of astronauts. They even had a chance to “float” in space to see two astronauts in action during extravehicular spacewalks, and so could enjoy the blue planet in all its majesty.
“I spent a lot of time today outside the station looking at the dome, looking for places to listen to my friends talk, it’s like coming back there,” Saint-Jacques said.
From December 3, 2018 to June 24, 2019, it has circled the Earth 3,264 times and traveled 139,096,495 kilometers on the International Space Station. We can also see it on the International Space Station during the immersive experience.
“It really breaks my heart to know that it’s so easy for so many people [de vivre] This experience, it’s really sobering, I find myself there. If you find it interesting, you’re there,” he added, saying that sharing the astronaut experience with as many people as possible, including young people, excites him as a scientist.
It is absolutely amazing to find ourselves on the International Space Station, as if there were us, who will never go to space. We can move through the modules of the International Space Station and, thanks to the demonstration bubbles that we activate with our hands, broadcast 3D videos, where we can see the astronauts doing research or explaining to us the fruits of their labor. There are many bubbles along the way, so you can’t get to them all in one pass, so everyone makes their own journey through space.
Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
The immersive “Space Explorers: INFINITY” track is 45 minutes long.
Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
The room where the immersive experience takes place.
Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
It is expected that more than 100 thousand spectators will be present in the coming months in the old port to experience this experience.
Very creative studio
All of this experience was filmed in 3D and 360-degree virtual reality, and we’re indebted to the Montreal team at Felix & Paul Studios, who were able to install their state-of-the-art cameras, proudly developed in-house, aboard the International Space Station as well as on the Canadian arm of capture. Stunning photos. Felix & Paul Studios and Studio PHI have come together for this project by forming a joint venture called INFINITY Experiences. Outside the International Space Station, imaging stretched for over a week, and by spreading the Canadian arm to its full extension, we were able to get some amazing pictures of Earth.
So far, 250,000 curious people have been able to see Space Explorers: Infinity, mainly in Houston, a mecca of space exploration as NASA headquarters. At least 100,000 spectators are expected to arrive at the Old Port over the next few months.
David Saint-Jacques, of the Apollo generation, knows that today’s youth will be as fascinated by space and the Moon as he is thanks to the Artemis program, an entirely new chapter in space exploration.
Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
Astronaut David Saint-Jacques spent more than 200 days on the International Space Station from December 3, 2018 to June 24, 2019, orbiting Earth 3,264 times and traveling 139,096,495 kilometers.
Felix & Paul Studios isn’t going to stop there. He has a project transmission live from the International Space Station and his cameras are already accompanying the Artemis II mission astronauts. “We started a year ago filming Artemis astronaut training for future missions. Therefore, we intend to continue to support the human space exploration program in the coming years,” said Felix Lyons, co-founder and creative director of Felix & Paul Studios.
Tickets are on sale online [theinfiniteexperience.world/montreal].
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