If the recent Artemis II mission inspired an obsession with space, you’ll soon be able embark on your own virtual voyage across the cosmos. Opening in Penn Quarter on June 12, Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience uses virtual reality headsets to explore distant exoplanets, black holes, and the Hubble Space Telescope itself. The experience is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and event group Fever, grounded in real astronomical data and research from SAO.  “It’s really a documentary you can walk through,” says Elliott Mizroch, a producer and director on Fever’s New Ventures team.  The VR event is the culmination of a two-year partnership between Fever and Smithsonian scientists. A group of around 50 creatives—animators, game developers, 3D modelers, composers, and traditional writers—worked with Smithsonian astrophysicists and museum producers to map out the cosmic phenomena in each scene before animation.  “We’ve built everything by hand,” says Mizroch. “We did use some AI tools just in cleanup processes and things like creating storyboards, but we built all of this by scratch from hand.” Smithsonian Starstruck will take place inside Fever’s roughly 5,000-square-foot venue in Penn Quarter (926 F St., NW). Groups of five to six visitors will enter the 40-minute VR experience every three minutes. The exhibit will remain in DC for the next nine to 12 months before potentially traveling to cities around the world.  Smithsonian Enterprises is overseeing the partnership, and acting president Denise M. Elliott believes the dedication to science is what sets this VR experience apart. She hopes the exhibit will inspire interest in STEM education, especially for younger visitors. Mizroch agrees. “I just hope people walk away from this feeling like they’ve actually just been to space, and that they’ve learned something about space.” The experience will be available in both English and Spanish for guests ages 10 and up. Tickets, which start at $29, will be available here.The post This Immersive Experience Turns Smithsonian Telescope Data Into a Virtual Space Walk first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less