What’s it like to be a crew member on the International Space Station? If you’re in Barcelona, you can find out thanks to Space Explorers: The ISS Experience, an immersive virtual reality experience located on the top floor of the Arenas Shopping Center (inside the ECLIPSO complex). Following its European premiere (in both Barcelona and Seville) this past summer, the attraction is coming to an end: it will close its doors on November 8. If you don’t want to miss it, get your tickets here—they’re selling out fast.
An exciting space odyssey
For this immersive journey into the depths of space, we don’t need special training, uncomfortable suits, or heavy helmets—just a pair of virtual reality goggles. Once we put them on, Earth will disappear from our field of vision, and we’ll be transported to the International Space Station, 400 km above the planet.
Unlike other guided virtual reality experiences, Space Explorers: The ISS Experience will give you the freedom to explore the station—which has been replicated on a full scale—at your own pace. Plus, nothing you’ll see is fictional.
This immersive experience draws its visuals from real footage that NASA astronauts have recorded in 360 degrees, both inside the station and during their spacewalks. The main inspiration has been their space missions, portrayed in great detail in the Emmy Award-winning documentary series *Space Explorers: The ISS Experience*.
Lasting about 35 minutes, this virtual reality experience is fully immersive thanks to its live-action footage, which sets it apart from other experiences in the city based on 3D graphics (more like video games—just as fun but less realistic). As for age restrictions, it’s recommended for ages 8 and up, and children must always be accompanied by an adult.
To make the most of every second of the experience, we recommend arriving at the venue about 10 to 15 minutes before the time you selected when purchasing your tickets.
And if you’re left wanting more, ECLIPSO Barcelona offers other immersive adventures. The latest to arrive at this venue is “Everest: The First Ascent,” an interactive journey in which we’ll accompany Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the historic expedition that conquered Everest in 1953.
