This is probably the only way you'll ever get to visit the Space Station, but it's pretty damn good

We never tire of seeing amazing new footage from the International Space Station (ISS), but it would be even better if most of us could get a VIP ticket to visit.

Well, now we can, thanks to virtual reality on the Oculus Rift.

Mission: ISS is a completely immersive VR experience that puts you on board the ISS as it orbits the Earth, with all the realistic effects you'd actually experience in space, including weightlessness.

Produced by Los Angeles-based studio Magnopus, the experience was developed in collaboration with NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

But if you're hoping for a video game style trip, this isn't the VR experience for you. Instead, Mission: ISS truly works to deliver a realistic version of what it's really like working on board the ISS, including training and space station missions that are informed by the reality of what astronauts actually go through rather than some fictional approach to space.

One big piece of advice before you strap on your Rift and dive in: sit, don't stand while exploring the ISS. The experience's weightlessness effect is extremely convincing and, aside from various handles around the walls to steady yourself (the app is optimized to work with Oculus Touch), trying this while standing will probably lead to some vertigo.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In fact, the entire environment is filled with realistic moments, including when you go to the now familiar pod area framed with windows and look down at the Earth. If you look closely, you'll notice that the atmosphere surrounding the planet is slowing moving, just as it does in real life.

And while Mission: ISS is indeed the most realistic way anyone can currently visit the ISS without actually going there, the even better news is that it's available for free.

So if you've ever wondered if you could hack it up there, you no longer have to worry about passing rigorous medical tests or fears of getting lost in space. Now all you need is an VR headset to go where only a handful of humans have before.