NonA Weekly: THE FUTURE IS HERE
Image by @nasa
Dear readers and friends,
When it comes to building the interior of a spacecraft, engineers often prioritize function over aesthetics, focusing on materials and hardware that are both safe and effective for executing the vehicle’s intended mission. But there’s beginning to be a long history to the notion that designing space for humans in space is a task that requires not just engineering, but architecture as well.
1. WHAT THE INSIDE OF A SPACESHIP MIGHT REALLY LOOK LIKE
We may one day spend years inside spaceships – and their interiors may have to be very different to our science fiction visions. If we look at the interior decor of the International Space Station (ISS) it leaves a lot to be desired, packed as it is with consoles, wires, ducts and equipment. Could biological structures furnish the INTERIOR of future spaceships?
2. LIVING IN SPACE IS THE ANSWER, BUT WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?
Architects are the designers best positioned to ask, and even answer, these questions about space. In technical circles within space science, the design of a total system – with launch capability, flight modules, crew or cargo space, and recovery – is known as an “ARCHITECTURE.” But in most of the presentations about various technical architectures for space travel and space settlement, there was little talk about the value that architects bring to those systems.
3. RARE PHOTOS SHOW THE EARLY YEARS OF NASA’S SPACE SHUTTLE ERA
Many of the photos come from J.L. Pickering personal archive, one of the world’s largest private collections of manned spaceflight images. A collection of unusual, rarely seen or unpublished IMAGES, picturing the shuttle program from 1965 until 1982.
4. SPACEX STARSHIP INTERIOR CONCEPT FOR 20 TO 40 PASSENGERS BY ARCHITECT PAUL KING
British interior architect/designer Paul King has created his detailed concept of SpaceX’s Starship INTERIOR layout for 20 (one shift) to 40 (two shifts sharing the same crew pods) passengers. The concept divides the pressurized living space into six 2.5m high levels.
5. IS THIS WHAT ELON MUSK’S MARS SPACESHIP WILL LOOK LIKE ON THE INSIDE?
Here are Lütken’s intricate RENDERINGS of the ITS spaceship’s living quarters, following some basic information about SpaceX’s hypothetical vessel itself.
6. BETTER INTERIOR DESIGN MIGHT KEEP ASTRONAUTS HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER IN DEEP SPACE
Hanging out in a tin can in a vast vacuum is stressful, but interior DESIGN can help. For astronauts travelling vast distances, the design of a spacecraft’s interior could be a critical tool for keeping people happy and healthy during the journey.
Stay creative and see you all next week!
Daniela
