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A Postcard from Mars: Exploring Interplanetary Communications in Virtual Reality

Author Adalberto L. Simeone

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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Human-centered computing → Virtual reality
Keywords
  • Immersive Speculative Enactments
  • Interplanetary Communications
  • Virtual Reality

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Abstract

In this paper we present an Immersive Speculative Enactment focused on the theme of interplanetary communications. These are a novel approach extending conventional Speculative Enactments to Virtual Reality. We created a narrative-based scenario in which participants played the role of human colonists on either Mars or the Moon, to explore a possible future in which interplanetary communication becomes a necessity. To enact this scenario, we created a VR interactive experience to elicit feedback on the idea of communicating across planets. Through an exploratory qualitative analysis of this immersive enactment, we found that while the future envisioned was seen as too distant to prompt realistic behaviour from all participants, the enactment helped us and the participants to reflect on the experience. We discuss these findings, drawing potential implications for the improvement of the feeling of "really being there" even in implausible situations and further contribute reflections on the role of ISEs in space-related scenarios.

Cite As Get BibTex

Adalberto L. Simeone. A Postcard from Mars: Exploring Interplanetary Communications in Virtual Reality. In Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 130, pp. 10:1-10:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.10

Author Details

Adalberto L. Simeone
  • Department of Computer Science, KU Leuven, Belgium

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