In 1957, a Soviet space dog known as Laika became the first being to be launched into Earth orbit. It is believed that the female dog was the one to pave mankind’s mission to explore the Earth’s surroundings. Less than 10 years have passed, and people have broken land barriers. It was five decades ago when humanity experienced what was thought to be impossible.

“One small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind.” We bet that you have heard this line somewhere. And we also know that you know what it refers to. The quote belongs to Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon. He was accompanied by Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, who joined him 19 minutes later. In the upcoming years, more people were inspired to go out and explore the moon. Twelve in total.

Yet, the thirst for knowledge did not stop at these people. There are other people who would do anything to step their foot on the moon’s surface. Look at Elon Musk for example, who does anything he can to explore Mars. One of his plans is to build enough spaceships to send around one million people to the Red Planet. Musk also adds that he wants to make the trip available to anybody. Most of these people can fulfill their dreams, but they would have to wait a few more years…

But the evolution of technology shouldn’t stay in your way. You must follow your dreams, regardless of what happens. To do this, you can make use of what already exists. Or how would Samsung say: “Do what you can’t!”

In fact, the South Korean company has always dared people to #DoWhatYouCant. So, if you’re planning to visit the Moon anytime soon, you should not be discouraged by the fact that either you are not allowed to leave the house because of the pandemic or because you do not have the necessary equipment. You should trust yourself. But more importantly, you should confide in Samsung’s skills to send you to the Moon.

According to the tech brand, there is “A Moon for All Mankind.” One that can be explored in detail only if the user wears a VR headset equipped with a Samsung smartphone. So, during this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, get yourself prepared to land on Earth’s natural satellite. Well, don’t get too excited though, because the experience is only virtual.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, Samsung created its own VR spaceship. On its board, there were some experts in the creative field, such as agency Iris, engineering experts Mannetron, and the guys at Framestore. Plus, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) joined the team, so you can be assured that all unfolds according to reality.

“A Moon for All Mankind” is the world’s first lunar gravity simulation VR experience, which uses the Samsung Gear VR and a custom-built rig. By using the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus, users were invited to embark themselves in an outer space journey in which they were able to experiment with an accurate Moon mission.

The action took place in a custom-designed simulator rig and IMU (inertial measurement unit) “spacesuit,” which kept a record of the user’s weight in real-time, offsetting it with accuracy to emulate the gravity of the Moon’s surface. These physical elements blended with the original mission content developed by Framestore only to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for the participants. The mission was simple: users had to land on the Moon’s surface first, exit the lander, and plant their flag. Also, there were a couple of dramatic surprises along the way.

This isn’t the first time when we see Samsung getting the best out of VR technology. In a previous #TBT column, we featured the brand’s #BeFearless program, in which the company developed VR training sessions to help people overcome their real-life fears. Two fears were created: Fear of Public Speaking and Fear of Heights, both helping a lot of people take control of the two most common phobias.

Credits:

Client: Samsung

Agency: Iris