‘No one would pay $1 million a night for a space hotel and put up with microwave meals.’ Until now, says Sherwood, space habitats have been about the basics.
Trotti explains that every year, one aim of the programme is to inspire young students to work on projects that will push established NASA scientists to dream further, with creative and inspirational visions for future spaceships and buildings on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
‘If you look at the history of the industry, what we do in space is a mirror for our contemporary values on Earth,’ says architect Neil Leach. Just like our earthly priorities, environmental sustainability is now top of the space agenda.
‘The Moon’s surface is an open mine of potential resources,’ says space architect Madhu Thangavelu. ‘It is full of accessible minerals and compounds that could be used to produce metals, bricks and glass.’
Robert Zubrin imagines a world of greenhouses initially transported from Earth, ‘opening up the planet to both human habitation and agriculture’.
Trotti says, ‘The key question is how to build an environment in which you can live for three years in a confined space, with the same people, in peace. Virtual reality could be an answer, allowing people to escape mentally, reduce anxiety, visit their hometown, or study remotely.’
Questions
1. The main issue is creating accommodation that will maintain friendly human relationships.
2. Innovations in spacecraft and architectural development reflect changing social beliefs on Earth.
3. People will be reluctant to go on a space vacation unless good service is available.
4. It is possible to use natural materials found on the Moon to build a structure.
5. It might be possible to create the kind of structure that will allow plants to be grown on another planet.
6. Newer generations of architects can encourage forward thinking in spacecraft and architectural design.