Space Explorers: The ISS Experience Brings Station VR to Eclipso in Midtown West, NYC

Space Explorers: The ISS Experience is running as a limited engagement at Eclipso New York in Midtown West. It is an immersive virtual-reality piece inspired by NASA missions, built from 3D, 360-degree cinematic footage filmed both inside and outside the International Space Station. The aim is to show what daily life aboard the station is actually like.

According to the official site, visitors go on a spacewalk alongside astronauts and see the blue Earth from the vastness of space. The organizers describe the view as so profound that it may transform the person looking at it.

The production comes from Felix & Paul Studios and PHI Studio, two names tied to high-end cinematic VR. Eclipso presents and distributes the show, and Time Studios, Fever and the ISS are credited as partners in association. The official site bills it as an award-winning global sensation, and lists other cities where it is available, among them Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lille, London, Lyon, Nantes and Sevilla. New York is one of those stops, with Midtown West as its home.

The venue sits on West 57th Street in Midtown West. Because it is a headset experience rather than a screening, visitors move inside the footage instead of watching it from a seat. VR attractions are no longer rare in Japan, but a piece built on footage actually shot on the ISS is a different proposition, and it suits visitors with an interest in space or science who want something to do in Manhattan beyond museums and Broadway.

The run is strictly limited. Dates and ticketing are handled through the official site, which is operated by Fever. For anyone in Midtown, it offers a way to take in orbital life without leaving the ground.