Theyre part of what has been called Space 4.0, where space technology is driven by commercial opportunities.
Many believe this is what it will take to get humans toMarsand beyond.
The first module of theChinese station Tiangongwas launched in April 2021, and is intermittently occupied by three crew.
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Commercializing life in space
The change is driven by NASAs support for commercializing space.
Axiom announcedPhilippe Starckwill design a luxurious interior.
The International Space Station, humanity’s most intensively inhabited site in space.
Starck compares it to a nest, a comfortable and friendly egg.
Theres also a huge viewing area with two-meter-high windows for tourists to look out at Earth and space.
By the time the ISS is decommissioned around 2030, Axioms modules will become a free-flying station.
The Lockheed Martin display at the 2021 International Astronautical Congress, with a billboard advertising the Starlab space station.
But how are space stations actually used?
Typically, older space stations were designed to meet engineering constraints rather than starting with crew comfort.
What lessons have been learned to make life better in space?
Until recently, there was little research that focused on the lived experience of astronauts on space stations.
We observe and measure their interactions with built spaces and the objects surrounding them.
What are the patterns of usage of different spaces and items?
Asking these kinds of questions reveals information never considered in habitat design before.
Behind them are a variety of different items placed by the crew over time.
The crew also doesnt use all spaces inside ISS equally.
One big challenge of life in orbit is the lack of gravity.
