Space Explorers: The ISS Experience : The First Space-Produced Series

Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is a multiplatform, immersive Emmy-winning, Primetime Production filmed by astronauts on the International Space Station and produced by Felix & Paul Studios in collaboration with TIME. In an unprecedented collaboration with NASA, The ISS Experience uses specially crafted virtual reality cameras designed to operate in zero gravity. The astronauts captured more than 200 hours of VR footage, 18 hours of exclusive astronaut records, interviews and the first visual scans of the ISS, planet Earth, and a spacewalk shot in state-of-the-art cinematic VR that show what it’s like to live and work in space.

September 12, 2021, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide stepped outside the International Space Station while filming them with a specially crafted immersive camera that was attached to canadarm2, a robotic arm 15 meters long outside the space station. Nothing of this scale, size or resolution has ever been attempted in the history of human spaceflight. The footage as it hovered 250 miles above ground, at an unspeakable speed of 17,500 miles per hour, gives the audience a unique perspective of our planet, along with astronauts committed to doing this important job. Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is an intimate, thought-provoking story that sheds light on the daily lives of this most distant but 2-decade-old outpost of humanity.

The saga consists of 4 episodes, of which 3 episodes have already been made and published.

Episode 1: “Adapt”

Episode 1: “Adapt” depicts a new crew of astronauts arriving at the International Space Station and discovering the joy, wonders and dangers of life in space. Years of training come into action as they overcome zero-gravity disorientation, respond to potential catastrophic emergencies, and learn to act as a closely knit team. The extreme nature of the experience leads them to form connections like family ones.

Episode 2: “Advance”

Episode 2: “Advance” describes the daily load by conducting pioneering science experiments on the space station as the crew prepares for the departure of three astronauts who have completed their six-month stay. The changing of the guard offers an opportunity to reflect on the vital role of women in space.

Episode 3: “Unite”

Episode 3: “Unite” tells the story of a space culture evolving between a select few who had the opportunity to live and work on the International Space Station. Old friends arrive and for the first time half of the entire class of astronauts are reunited at the station. The cycle continues as, again, one mission ends and another begins. The crew’s unique shared perspective becomes stronger as colleagues together realize dreams of humanizing space.

The fourth and final episode is expected at the end of 2022. The series is available via the Meta Quest device or Oculus Rift using the Oculus TV app.