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NASA has always embraced emerging technology for visualization, even if that tech was seemingly developed for frivolous entertainment. We recently\u00a0covered its holographic\u00a0Mars exhibit<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0the many<\/a> 3D resources<\/a> that NASA makes available<\/a>\u00a0to developers and educators. Now, the US space agency has partnered with Epic Games\u2019 Unreal Engine<\/a> to create a mixed reality International Space Station simulator.<\/p>\n To\u00a0become a qualified NASA astronaut, candidates\u00a0spend up to two years of training learning the ropes through intensive classes and simulations that help them prepare for working while weightless, navigating around different parts of the space shuttle and international space station, and serving as each others\u2019 emergency medical technicians, among other things.<\/p>\n In the past, astronaut training\u00a0meant dives in a \u201cneutral buoyancy lab,<\/a>\u201d a giant pool that\u00a0holds 6.2 million gallons of water, and spending time at NASA\u2019s \u201cspace vehicle mock-up facility,<\/a>\u201d a life-sized model of the space shuttle orbiter and parts of the international space station (ISS). Those physical facilities have limited capacity, though. Adding a mixed reality\u00a0mock-up, alongside the physical facility, could allow astronauts-in-training a lot more time to hone their skills in a convincing sim.<\/p>\n Unreal Engine\u2019s main competitor, Unity, has also worked with NASA<\/a>. For the unfamiliar, both companies make game engines that have been adapted for the creation\u00a0of enterprise applications, and\u00a0VR experiences. More game developers use Unity than Unreal Engine by a long shot today. Still, Unreal Engine boasts\u00a0impressive customers on the \u201cserious games\u201d front, including BMW<\/a>, McLaren, Ikea and Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n