The Mars Society is building a new open-source Virtual Reality platform — we call it “MarsVR” — that can be used for serious research towards the goal of sending humans to Mars. The MarsVR Program will be a multi-phase effort designed to pioneer the emerging field of CrowdExploration, which we define as the partnership between the first astronauts on Mars and the VR experts and enthusiasts back on Earth. We aim to establish the capability of using Virtual Reality to assist with the initial human exploration of landing sites. Phase I of the Mars VR Program will focus on designing training simulations for use at the Mars Desert Research Station, providing direct assistance in the training of MDRS crew members. We will also open-source the key elements of the platform so that the general public can freely make use of it to experience the exploration of Mars.

Phase 1 of MarsVR was focused on creating a prototype training environment centered on the Mars Desert Research Station. We scanned the base and a square mile of terrain using a drone and the latest photogrammetry techniques. We stitched these visual and virtual reality data assets together into a Unity project that was successfully demoed at the Mars Society conference and several other events. The Phase 1 build is available for chapters and interested enthusiasts to request but it is not yet publicly available. This is because there is some cleanup work remaining to ensure the buildings are accurate and the overall experience is high quality. Our team of volunteers is presently finalizing this environment and it should be ready in Spring 2020.

Phase 2 was focused on a more general Unity project that can feature multiple environments and 3-d Base/Colony designs in addition to the MDRS facilities. We also began work on a future Mars terrain using the region of Melas Chasma on the floor of Valles Marineris, which is an ideal human settlement location.

Phase 3 has just begun and features additional crowdfunding opportunities to support 2021 development, which we hope results in our first public release. We are also continuing to add new partnerships.

Phase 4 will roll out our initial peer-reviewed crew training procedures, which will be provided to future MDRS crews as a free unlock, and sold to the public via the Steam Store for $30. Additional releases will increase the amount of training procedures and overall content in the application.