Virtual Trip to the Asteroid Ryugu

The students connect through Zoom for audiovisual communication. Then, they open a browser window in parallel to enter the virtual space, where they can walk around and interact with the environment just like in a video game. No special software installation is necessary. During the lecture, we visit three distinct environments: a research institute, a fairy tale palace and the surface of asteroid Ryugu. While traveling between these worlds, the lecturer discusses the following questions: ? What can asteroids tell us about the origin of life on Earth? ⛩️ How is the name of asteroid Ryugu connected to Japanese culture? ?‍? What does the surface of asteroid Ryugu look like? The students can freely move in the virtual world, verbally communicate with the lecturer and among themselves, draw, and interact with objects. Think of a virtual tour to a museum or a planetarium. No prior experience or knowledge is required. The lecture focuses on one specific space mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that is scheduled to return a sample of asteroid rocks to Earth later in 2020. Our lecturers are not affiliated with JAXA. ?️ Technical requirements: You can use almost any modern (4 years old or newer) mobile device, laptop or desktop computer. No additional software needs to be installed. Everything will run from a web browser. You can also use a Virtual Reality headset to have a fully immersive experience.