NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid, “flew” to the ISS in October 2021 to visit the astronauts on board. (Image: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet) It is not science fiction: Doctors with holograms fell into space to visit astronauts.
In 2021, a team of hologram doctors was “completed” in space to visit astronauts living on the International Space Station, NASA revealed in a new post. The hologram teams, led by NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid and Fernando De La Peña Llaca, CEO of software company Aexa Aerospace, were the first humans to ever be “completed” from Earth to space. “This is a completely new way of human communication over long distances,” Schmid said in a statement. “Moreover, it is a brand new way of human exploration, where our human entity can travel beyond the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity is absolutely there.” (In the image above, Schmid appears to greet the astronauts in space with a well-known space salute, the Vulcan Salute from “Star Trek.”)

Hologram of medical professionals at the ISS on October 8, 2021. From left, Andrew Madrid, Dr. Fernando De La Pena Llaca, Rlhab Sadik, Dr. Joe Schmid, Kevin Bryant, Mackenzie Hoffman and Wes Tarkington. (Image: ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet) “It does not matter that the space station travels at 17,500 mph [28,000 kilometers per hour] and in continuous motion on a track of 250 miles [400 km] “Above the Earth, the astronaut can return three minutes or three weeks later and with the system working, we will be there at this point, live on the space station,” Schmid added. The medical teams were transferred to the station on October 8. Using the Microsoft Hololens Kinect camera and a personal computer with Aexa custom software, the European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was at the station at the time, had a full-blown conversation with Schmid and De La Pena’s crews. The doctors’ holograms were visible live in the middle of the space station. So how did it work? The “holoportation” technology that made this possible works by using specialized imaging technology that reconstructs, compresses and transmits vivid 3D models of people. This technology is combined with HoloLens, a self-proclaimed “mixed reality headset” that combines sensors, optics and holographic processing technology to allow the user to see hologram images or even enter a “virtual world”. With the two systems combined, orbiting users can not only see the participants in the hologram, but can also hear and interact with them. The technology is not new, but it has never been used in an environment so challenging with users so far away. According to NASA, this “new form of communication” is a precursor to more extensive use of holograms in future space missions. The organization then plans to test two-way hologram communication, to which it will send a hologram of astronauts in space on Earth in addition to sending a hologram of users on Earth in space. “We will use it for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences and to bring VIPs to the space station to visit with astronauts,” NASA officials wrote. With two-way hologram communication tested by Earth in space (and vice versa), NASA aims to use this technology for extraterrestrial guidance. “Imagine being able to bring the best trainer or the real designer of a highly sophisticated technology to you wherever you work on it,” Schmid said. “In addition, we will combine augmented reality with tactile reality,” Schmid said. Tactics refer to technology that can simulate touch through things like vibrations or motors. “You can work on the device together like two of the best surgeons working during an operation. It would give everyone a break knowing the best team is working on a critical piece of equipment.” The potential future applications of hologram technology in space are vast, according to NASA. Technology could support everything from advanced medical treatment, mission support, or even connecting astronauts with their families back to Earth. The technology could also prove to be particularly useful for future deep space travel with crews to destinations such as Mars, where we know astronauts will face significant communication challenges and delays. Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.