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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stars in virtual reality film about Mars
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Aldrin told BBC that his idea of the film was to encourage governments to focus on a single plan, instead of multiple private companies attempting to be the first on the Red Planet. (buzzaldrin.com/File)
Astronaut and second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin, has utilized virtual reality to publicize his plan on getting humans to Mars.
Titled Cycling Pathways to Mars, the 10-minute film presents the astronaut as a hologram and details his idea of using the moons of Earth and Mars as rest-stops during the six-month journey to Mars.
Aldrin told BBC that his idea of the film was to encourage governments to focus on a single plan, instead of multiple private companies attempting to be the first on the Red Planet.
The former astronaut also believes that the first settlers on Mars will likely have to endure difficult conditions and that they will have to be like the pilgrims that traveled to America on the Mayflower. New arrivals on Mars will need to have the same mind-set as those early settlers, he said.
Read also: China to send unmanned probes to Mars, Jupiter by 2030
"I think we're going to have pioneers, but they're going to be very well prepared, and what troubles me is that they need to be motivated and they have to retain that motivation in a mind that changes. I think that's one of the biggest concerns.”
The film, which was created by virtual reality firm 8i in partnership with Time, was positively received.
Charles Singletary from Upload VR said that "the production quality makes you feel like you're standing in the middle of a high tier sci-fi film, which makes it all the more mind-blowing that Buzz is guiding you through something that could realistically be implemented."
"The hologram was very crisp and was presented as a projection in the virtual space, a small detail that keeps the immersion intact," he added. (sul/kes)
