73 | Futurity
To infinity & beyond Agatha Mintus
The context of architecture is incessantly evolving and consequently demanding adaptation of buildings and designs to new lifestyles, challenges and extreme environments. In the near future, one of the new contexts will be the long-term presence of humans in outer space. It requires creating a selfsufficient station supporting and protecting crew members from harmful and hazardous conditions. The role of designers is increasing since the longterm manned missions are inevitable and the realization of the concepts is requiring involvement from all disciplines. The next are three different design approaches in the space industry I have experienced. LunAres Research Station – creating a scientific platform
Figure 1. EVA area in LunAres, author: matiaž tančič
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The first approach is the creation of facilities providing spaces for studying the technology and the impact of mission and space conditions on humans. Currently, the main issue regarding long-term manned mission is humans. With the technology that we have, it is already possible to travel, explore and establish space stations in the nearby planetary system. However, the effects of being in space on psychological and physiological aspects are still unknown. Many experiments are performed on ISS (International Space Station), which provides a real space environment to measure and monitor its impact. Additionally, many medical and psychological studies are focusing on the effects of isolation, supply limitations, artificial environment on humans.
