Here is a JPL presentation about the use of immersive virtual environments to assist space exploration:

Caption:

How would you like to swim in the oceans of Europa? What would it feel like to climb Mount Olympus on Mars? Is it possible for all of us to experience these journeys together? The goal of the Telexploration project is to make us better explorers by building immersive environments that feel like we are really there. By drawing together technologies from sources as unlikely as the video game industry and advancing the state of the art in human-system interaction, we are working towards low-cost “holodecks” – not only for every NASA mission scientist, but for every person who longs to explore space with us. This presentation will describe our progress towards these ambitious goals as well as the challenges that are ahead.

Speaker:
Dr. Jeff Norris
Lead of the Mission Operations Innovation Office, Mission Systems and Operations Division
Jet Propulsion Laboratory