NOVAORBITS
MFA THESIS PROJECT OF ZIJIAN LI
Š2013 ZIJIAN LI All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written consent of Zijian Li. All respective work shown has been appropriately identified credited. Any omissions found will be noted and corrected in subsequent editions.
ZI JI A N LI WWW.ZIJIANLI.COM KEN.ZIJIAN.LI@GMAIL.COM 415.519.3295
NOVAORBITS
MFA THESIS PROJECT OF ZIJIAN LI
NOVAORBITS
MFA THESIS PROJECT OF ZIJIAN KEN LI
NOVA ORBITS / PROJECT CONCEPT
THE NOVA ORBITS PROJECT IS ABOUT PROMOTING SPACE TOURISM AND THE SPACE ELEVATOR PROJECT FOR POTENTIAL INVESTORS. IT PROVIDES INFORMATION THAT ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO INVEST IN THIS PROJECT.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 BACKGROUND / PAGE 010
02 DEVELOP / PAGE 028
03 PROCESS / PAGE 044
04 SOLUTIONS / PAGE 070
05 APPENDICES / PAGE 118
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01
BACKGROUND
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MY TOPIC IS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF SPACE DEVELOPMENT. I CHOSE THIS BECAUSE I AM INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, ESPECIALLY SPACE SCIENCE, AND REALIZE THAT SPACE EXPLORATION IS GOING THROUGH SILENT CHANGES.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE NOVA PROJECT
The NOVA Orbits project began with the retirement of the space shuttle program. NASA retired its space shuttle fleet between March and July of 2011. Completing its final mission on March 9, 2011, Discovery was the first of the three active space shuttles to be retired. Endeavor followed on June 1st and the final shuttle mission was completed with the landing of Atlantis on July 21, 2011, bringing about the end of the 30-year space shuttle program. The program’s retirement is upsetting because it is not just the end of several space missions; it is the end of an era. It made me wonder what the near future might hold for the space industry.
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THIS THESIS PROJECT BEGAN WITH THE RETIREMENT OF SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
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END OF AN ERA
The retirement of the space shuttle spells the beginning of the end for the US astronaut corps. Fifty years after its birth, the astronaut program—an iconic American venture—is undergoing a transformation. Now that the astronauts’ main rides into space have been retired and funding for manned space exploration has shrunk to almost nothing, the astronaut corps will become smaller and its role will be redefined. Many space duties will likely be turned over to commercial spaceflight companies.
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THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
After some researching, I noticed that the private space industry is slowly taking over space projects that were previously operated by the government. The market value of the private space industry is larger than people might think. Some pioneer companies, like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, have already begun real missions. Even government agencies, like NASA, are using SpaceX to launch cargo vessels to the International Space Station (ISS). More and more private operations are opening their businesses up to this new market. The future of space exploration belongs to the private sector.
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SPACE TOURISM
Traveling into space for recreational purposes is now part of the official
definition
of
space
tourism.
Before
2014,
no
privately
operated, manned spaceflights had ever occurred. The only private individuals to journey into space went as spaceflight participants on Russian flights to Mir and the ISS. Then, on June 21, 2004, SpaceShipOne’s successful test flight started to change history. Space travel became more of a reality. In the near future, space tourism will still be expensive, but more affordable pricing and safer flights will increase the number of potential passengers.
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N EO NV S K A TO RR UB CI TTS
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M OF R P A TTFHOELSI OI S OPFR ZOIJJEI A CN T O K EF NZ ILJI I, AMN F KA E N L I
PROJECT / AT THE EDGE OF DAWN
2 S E C T I O N / BS AP CR KI NGGR O2 U0 N1 D
SPACE ELEVATOR
The Space Elevator, a new space transportation system under development, could make Geostationary Earth Orbit travel a daily event. This project could transform the global economy. A space elevator, made of a carbon nanotubes composite ribbon anchored to an offshore sea platform, would stretch out to a small counterweight approximately 62,000 miles (100,000 km) into space. Mechanical lifters attached to the ribbon would then climb the ribbon, carrying cargo and humans into space at an approximate price of only $100 to $400 per pound.
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THE BIRTH OF THE NOVA ORBITS PROJECT
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MY IDEA COMBINES THE SPACE INDUSTRIES’ THREE MOST IMPORTANT TRENDS, PRIVATE SPACE COMPANIES, SPACE TOURISM, AND THE SPACE ELEVATOR, TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY.
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DEVELOP
PROJECT / AT THE EDGE OF DAWN
CATEGORY / EXHIBITION DESIGN
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RESEARCH AND BRAINSTORMING
When I started this project, I had little knowledge of space development from a business perspective. To solve this, I read books about space exploration and articles on NASA’s website. I searched for related organizations and examined their focus on the space industry. I also went to the science museum to discover how other people perceive this science. The more I researched, the more opportunities I found for a designer to actually help change the public’s view towards the newly born industry of space tourism.
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OPPORTUNITY GAP
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AFTER SEEING A PLETHORA OF CONFUSING, TEXT-HEAVY, AND VISUALLY UNAPPEALING PUBLICATIONS AND WEBSITES FOR COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS RELATED TO THE SPACE INDUSTRY, I SAW THAT THERE WERE STILL SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SPACERELATED COMPANY.
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TARGET AUDIENCE
Because this project is about space tourism, the main target audience will be the people who can afford such endeavors. Space tourism is expensive, even with technological improvements. But the price will surely be more affordable in the future, allowing for more people to actually go to outer space. Another target audience group includes potential investors who are willing to invest in the bright future of this business. Though this project is targeted at tourists and investors, I want more people to pay attention to space exploration. So, I will also target people who care about the future of space exploration as a secondary audience.
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POTENTIAL SPACE TOURISTS
POTENTIAL INVESTORS
PEOPLE WHO CARES ABOUT SPACE
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THE CHANGE OF DESIGN LANGUAGE
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DURING THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR, WHILE DEVELOPING MY THESIS, I KEPT IMPROVING THE LANGUAGE OF MY THESIS TO GIVE THIS SPECIFIC SPACE EXPLORATION PROJECT A UNIQUE LOOK AND PERSONALITY.
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DESIGN IS A LENGTHY PROCESS. IT TAKES MORE THAN A FEW SECONDS TO COME UP WITH GREAT WORK.
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VISUAL INSPIRATION
Visual inspiration is very important. This project is about technology, future, space and giant spacecraft flying on the sky. I want my design look techie, sharp and flowing. I got my visual inspiration from architectures, industry design and movies.
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SKETCHES AND DESIGN THINKING
Continuously thinking about the NOVA Orbits story was important even in the design process. I used a sketch book to keep refining the idea and concept for this thesis project. Drawing also gave me a second chance to reform and shape my idea.
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LOGO DEVELOPMENT
The final logo design looks simple, but I spent a lot of time on it. First, I sketched it on paper. When the logo sketch was done, I chose the best three concepts and made them digital. I tried every possible variety of these concepts and printed them out for further refinement. I even made varieties for the sole purpose of adjusting their pixel levels to find the best space between each stroke. The final design proved that all the hard work was worth it.
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DESIGNING A LOGO SEEMS EASY, BUT IT TAKES TIME TO CREATE DIFFERENT VARIETIES AND REFINE EVERY SINGLE DETAIL.
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BOOK AND WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
This main goal for book and website design is to make it easy to understand. Because the exist designs are always complex and confusing. I want to avoid these problem in my design. During the process, I were carefully adjust the placement and the size of texts, images and graphic elements, to make all of them visually appearing.
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SPACECRAFT DEVELOPMENT
This is a project about developing space exploration and it would not have been complete without a cool spacecraft. In this project, I challenged myself to make something outside of my standard ability range. Starting with a rough sketch, I created the spacecraft for this specific space mission on my own.
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FINAL SOLUTION
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FINAL MARK
The concept of the final mark is based on the ribbon, orbit, and feel of flying to convey the idea of flying into orbit The Klint typeface was chosen to reflect the feeling and style of the NOVA Orbits project.
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NOVA STAR
NOVA Star was created for this specific project. It is a fictional spacecraft that will be used in NOVA’s space project. I hope introducing a well-designed spacecraft will increase the chances of this thesis project becoming a reality.
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INVESTOR BOOK
This is a book for potential space tourists and investors. This book contains a lot of details about NOVA, the NOVA Orbits Project, the NOVA Star spacecraft, flight experience, and future projects of NOVA. Infographics make this book easy to read and understand. This book can also be used as a tool to help people understand the latest information on the space industry.
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NOVAORBITS.COM
This website is a simple, virtual version of the NOVA investor book. It contains information on the company, NOVA’s mission and goals, the NOVA Star, and the flight experience, as well as news and contact information. It will give visitors brief views of NOVA and the NOVA Orbits project. The potential tourists and investors can also submit requests to get the investor book through this website.
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PROMOTIONAL POSTERS
These posters are designed to promote the NOVA Orbits project. The posters use the graphic elements from the logo. Each poster uses one letter from the word NOVA, and explains the purpose of the letter. The posters inform people about NOVA’s goals and mission. These posters will be part of the investor kit.
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SECTION / SOLUTIONS
THESE SERIES OF POSTERS ARE DESIGNED AS THE PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL. THEY WILL BE PART OF THE INVESTOR KIT.
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N EO NV S K A TO RR UB CI TTS
PR AO G JE E C1T1 2 0 1
M OF R P A TTFHOELSI OI S OPFR ZOIJJEI A CN T O K EF NZ ILJI I, AMN F KA E N L I
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
/10/
THESIS PROJECT / NOVA ORBITS
CATEGORY / BR ANDING DESIGN
F AS LE LC T2 I0O1N2 /– SFOALLUL T 2I O0 N1 S 3
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STATIONERY SYSTEM
The letterhead and business cards will reflect NOVA’s branding. The letterhead will be used for “thank you” letters and will come with business cards as part of the investor kits. They will be written in the voice of professionals, techies, and so on. I hope the investors will understand NOVA’s branding by the design of this stationery system.
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APPENDICES
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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ONLINE IBM100–Think Film <http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/thinkexhibit/>
Lincoln Center <http://lc.lincolncenter.org>
Fight for Space <http://www.fightforspace.com>
Why Space Exploration is Important to the United States <http://www.space.com/2481-space-exploration-important-united-states.html>
Top 5 Reasons why Space Exploration is Important for the World <http://planetsave.com/2009/07/26/top-5-reasons-why-space-exploration-is-important-for-the-world/>
Boosting NASA’s Budget Will Help Fix Economy: <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47084599/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/ boosting-nasas-budget-will-help-fix-economy-neil-degrasse-tyson/>
Bill Nye: U.S. risks losing its space edge <http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/02/opinion/nye-planets-exploration/index.html>
The Space Review: A skeptic’s guide to space exploration <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1160/1>
The UnMuseum–The Space Elevator <http://www.unmuseum.org/spaceelevator.htm>
Engineering and Operation Overview <http://www.isec.org/index.php/resources/space-elevator-in-depth/engineering-and-operation-overview>
Aerospaceweb.org–Space Shuttle Abort Modes <http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/spacecraft/q0278.shtml>
Space Quotations: Wonder and Magic of Space quotes <http://www.spacequotations.com/magicspacequotes.html>
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Doctor’s Orders: The Right Stuff for Space Tourists <http://www.space.com/905-doctor-orders-stuff-space-tourists.html>
Space Future–Space Tourism and its Effects on Space Commercialization <http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/space_tourism_and_its_effects_on_space_commercialization.shtml>
Space Shuttle Mission Profile & Abort Modes <http://www.space-shuttle.com/abortmain.htm>
What do NASA employees think of SpaceX <http://www.quora.com/NASA/What-do-NASA-employees-think-of-SpaceX#ans3356665>
Hypersonic Successor to Legendary SR-71 Blackbird Spy Plane Unveiled <http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/11/lockheed-martin-sr-72/>
Spaceflight <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight>
Audacious & Outrageous: Space Elevators <http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast07sep_1/>
The Spaceward Foundation < http://www.spaceward.org/elevator>
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BOOKS Edwards, Bradely C. & Westling, Eric A. The Space Elevator: A Revolutionary Earth–to–Space Transportation System. BC Edwards, 2002. Print.
Bruce Mau and the Institute without Boundaries. Massive Change. Phaidon, 2004. Print.
Seedhouse, Erik. Astronauts for Hire: The Emergence of a Commercial Astronaut Corps. Praxis, 2012. Print
American in Space Abrams, 2007. Print.
Tyson, Neil deGrasse. Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Phillips Cynthia & Priwer Shana. Space Exploration for Dummies. For Dummies, 2009. Print.
Kemp, Kenny. Destination Space: How Space Tourism is Making Science Fiction a Reality. Virgin Books, 2010. Print
Anderson, Eric C. & Piven Joshua. The Space Tourist’s Handbook. Quirk Books, 2005. Print
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THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
MY FAMILY Thank you so much for your love, support and encouragement. I love you so much!
FRIENDS AND CL ASSMATES Thank your for your support, help, and inspiration. You guys are awesome!
INSTRUCTORS Thank your Phil Hamlett and Dave Gottwald for all the guidance, advise,feedback and support. Your help keeps my thesis project on the right track, and made a huge improvement in my final design. I could not have gotten here without your help.
N OVAO R B I T S . C O M
MFA THESIS PROJECT OF ZIJIAN LI