Apollo 11 VR is a first person experience of the interior of the 1969 Command Module. Explore the cockpit firsthand in an authentic model of the interior based on scans from the Smithsonian. This is the 50th anniversary of the historic landing where Buzz Aldrin and Neal Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon on a site name Tranquility Base. The Apollo spacecraft had three parts: a command module (CM) with a cabin for the three astronauts, and the only part that returned to Earth; a service module (SM), which supported the command module with propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water; and a lunar module (LM) that had two stages – a descent stage for landing on the Moon, and an ascent stage to place the astronauts back into lunar orbit. The astronauts used Eagle's ascent stage to lift off from the lunar surface and rejoin Collins in the command module. They jettisoned Eagle before they performed the maneuvers that propelled the ship out of the last of its 30 lunar orbits on a trajectory back to Earth. They returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 after more than eight days in space. Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab) at Ball State University explores the intersection between the arts, science, and technology. Scholarly, creative and pedagogical projects investigate virtual reality, human computer interface (HCI), augmented reality, mobile apps, visualization and 3D simulation.
