Imagine hitching a ride to the moon on a pint-sized space probe — and experiencing every high point of the flight in real time, thanks to virtual-reality technology, according to Pete Worden, the director of NASA’s Ames Research Center.

“For example, I can imagine a future robotic mission to the moon where we can all walk or fly along with the lunar rover as it makes its way over the lunar landscape,” he said. “If the rover streams its data back to Earth, we can build up an increasingly accurate virtual model of the land it’s traveling. Your avatar can explore along with those of scientists and engineers managing the mission.”