VR allows you to reach places and achieve things that most can only dream about, including floating around the International Space Station.

But, it’s worth remembering that ‘virtual’ has a double meaning.

While it means existing digitally, not physically, it also means ‘almost.’ ‘Nearly.’ ‘Very close.’ We promise this is going somewhere, and you’ve actually landed on Space.com and not Dictionary.com.

We’re not talking about things like soaring through the sky as a bird or going on an adventure on an alien planet with futuristic weapons (although VR does allow you to do these things).

Mountain climbing, visiting a rainforest, racing at extreme speeds, going into space – things like that. .

It’s not the real thing, of course, but it’s much closer than you could otherwise get.

One thing that the vast majority of people will never get the chance to do, but that a significant percentage of those same people would love to do, is become an astronaut and visit space.

For example, Mission: ISS offers a tantalizing taste of astronaut life, and it’s free.

Made with help from NASA, Mission: ISS gives you a little corner of the International Space Station to explore?

You’re able to navigate tight spaces in zero gravity, look outside to see the Earth hanging below, and gently bat floating items out of your way – the full astronaut experience.

It’s not all dry technical stuff, either.

It’s slow, demanding, and really makes you feel like you’re doing proper astronaut work.

While it’s a shame that you can’t open up the labeled boxes of astronaut food, you’ll love taking in the fine detail added to screens, and rewarding yourself with a tricky zero-g journey through the entirety of the available area.

There are plenty of other apps and games that emulate space travel or take place in space (like these best PSVR space games), as well as a huge variety of other bucket list experiences!

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