Andreas Mogensen has completed Danish Aerospace Company’s VR-experiment on the International Space Station (ISS) and taken it to heart. Several NASA astronauts have, on own initiative, tried DAC’s VR hardware.
Exercise 400 km above ground
Exercise in space is not only necessary, but also a requirement for staying on ISS. To maintain normal muscle- bone- and cardiovascular functions in a weightless environment and reduce impairments, when they once again reach Earth, exercise is a crucial component. To exercise in microgravity environments is different in many ways than we do on Earth. It requires custom-made equipment, which is not only operational in this environment, but also exceptional reliability is key.
We may all wish to try and exercise in space, however, as many other things, it becomes routine, also for the astronauts staying there for several months. Especially, when the view from the space ergometer is machinery and cables no matter where you look. It requires a special kind of motivation when you have to do this for 2,5 hours every day.
VR in space objective
We not only focus on physical health today, but also mental health plays a larger part in people’s awareness. This is also true for astronauts. To stay on ISS is without a doubt an exceptional experience and exciting work with experiments from around the world. However, it also deprives you of what you know from home. Meanwhile on ISS it is not possible to go outside and breathe some fresh air.
If you through Virtual Reality can “trick” your mind to believe that you are somewhere else, the idea is that the mental health will be positively affected. VR for Exercise will evaluate the effects of training on FERGO ergometer combined with a Virtual Reality Headset. An HTC VIVE Focus 3 Headset modified for use in space by Danish Aerospace Company (DAC) configured with videos filmed in the Danish landscape. One of the videos was selected from a public competition which 10-year-old Isabella from Loekken won.
Test causes excitement
In connection with the retirement of our previous ergometer CEVIS, the new and improved ergometer FERGO arrived on ISS in November 2023. The ergometer is a key part of the VR experiment as the two will work together and create a lifelike form of training in the Danish nature far away from Earth. In the past few weeks, DAC’s VR headset has been tested by Andreas Mogensen, both as a stand-alone and in combination with FERGO. “It’s actually one of my favorite things to do around the space station now” says Danish ESA Astronaut, Andreas Mogensen.
Watch ESA’s video: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2024/03/Biking_on_Earth_from_the_Space_Station
At DAC’s mission control room breaths were held as staff from the sideline could follow Andreas initiate the experiment and later as we awaited reports from ESA with feedback on the initial trial run. It evoked cheers at the small company in Odense when the equipment worked as intended and with the initial feedback being very positive.
” It’s always exciting to see our products in space and wait to see if they work as expected” says Danish Aerospace Company’s CEO Thomas A. E. Andersen. “When we then also hear the positive feedback, you become very proud of the work we’ve done to reach this point.” He continues with pride in his voice; “The technology worked as intended and we saw the positive response very clearly. Not only Andreas has used the equipment, but also a few NASA astronauts have tried it. The project is a huge success, and we look forward to what else this might bring, both for DAC and for those training in space in the future.”
For further information:
Thomas A. E. Andersen, CEO, Danish Aerospace Company A/S
Cell phone: +45 40 29 41 62, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.