Background
Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, is a leading informal STEAM education centre focused on space exploration history. In April 2025, it announced a strategic partnership with Kansas State University Salina to develop innovative aerospace education programmes for K-12 students and beyond, incorporating VR and AR technologies.
The Deployment
As part of that partnership, a team of seven K-State Salina senior students -- under the academic supervision of Dr. Balaji Balasubramaniam, Dr. Annie Hoekman, and Dr. Michael Oetken -- developed the ISS Rupture Simulation as their senior capstone project. The simulation places camp participants aboard a virtual model of the International Space Station during an emergency scenario. Campers must locate ruptures by using an in-experience audio amplifier to listen for air leaks, then repair the damage with branded patches.
Designed specifically for integration into Cosmosphere camp programmes, the simulation extends the organisation hands-on STEAM education offering with an immersive space operations scenario.
Partners
Pure Imagination Studios, the Hollywood-based XR and spatial computing studio that also has a deep campus partnership with K-State Salina through the K-AIRES facility, sent a representative to the final demonstration alongside staff and leadership from both institutions.
Outcomes
The completed VR experience was presented to all partners in May 2026 and is scheduled to be integrated into Cosmosphere camp programming. The project demonstrates the educational pipeline enabled by the Cosmosphere and K-State Salina partnership, producing a production-ready immersive tool through undergraduate capstone work.
