Designs in a space shuttle
In 2020, the COVID-19 situation has kept us home, in a relatively small space compared with our moving range without the virus. During this period, I have come up with some responsive designs about how to maintain a positive mood when you get stuck in one physical place. Though the situation is much better compared with the Mars Spaceship, I think the designs can do a good job.
‘Because of radiation in space, a mission to Mars will have no windows, meaning no ISS-style cupola for astronauts to relax in and watch the world (or worlds) go by’. And this might be the biggest issue we are going to solve to help astronauts keep positive. Of course, we can use VR headsets, but from my perspective, the moment you put on the headset, you realize that things following are virtual things, thus that cannot give them the sense of realness, which connects them with our society. So the first design is a smart wallpaper and control system. It’s easy for me to tell whether a person is using a virtual background or he is really at someplace. Similarly, this also works for astronauts’ bodies. So instead of using VR, I would like to design the wallpaper using autostereoscopy. Staying in one place for 3 years is definitely something very boring, so the idea here is to imitate other scenes in reality as close as possible. To fool our eyes, we need autostereoscopy, to fool our skin, we need to control the strength and the color of lightning, the movement of the air, the humidity, and other environmental surroundings. I also imagine that these sceneries will include every astronauts’ home environment. When they communicate with their families, they can switch to that wallpaper, bringing them an enjoyable illusion that they are down there with their families. Also, when we make a new friend, we are likely to show him around our home and introduce him to our families. These astronauts are comrades-in-arms in life and death, so bringing them home and introduce them will somehow enhance the friendship between members. If it’s possible, I want to add some mirrors to a spaceship. Because for me, the space is rather limited. Using mirrors is a common way to expand the feeling of space. And every astronauts’ demand on space will differ from each other. Using some responsive mirrors, which can change angles on the request of astronauts will help to expand the limited space.
Another idea I have, which is very similar to the one mentioned in the reading. ‘ furniture and rooms that respond to your body and are designed for use in space. In zero gravity, you can’t just lie on your back, wrap yourself up in your sheets to get cozy, she says. You might actually need a structure that wraps itself around you… to create that feeling of being hugged or being cozy.’ The idea I have is a smart blanket, which will give astronauts a sense of warmness whenever they need it. According to some researches, hugging is the best way to heal a wounded heart. So I think a blanket which will hug you can help you stay positive. AIs like R2D2 in StarWars is quite helpful as well. If possible, a robot with all the humorous language on earth can definitely smooth the tense situation when a conflict happens. Keep astronauts smiling is beneficial to this long journey.