Environment Design in Space: Lunar Base and the ISS

Paper number

IAC-05-E5.2.02

Author

Ms. Ayako Ono, Japan

Year

2005

Abstract

While infrastructural technologies in space are advanced, the designs that support holistic human existence in space tend to lack the ability to stimulate the human senses, alienating humanistic integral ideas and abilities, commonly stated as “Art and Science.” To improve the quality of life simultaneously in space and on Earth, the importance of collaborations among experts who build the artistic, scientific, and technical space communities must be addressed. This paper demonstrates some possible approaches to fulfill this purpose. The author proposes a number of exemplar projects that she has carried out for developing a lunar base design concept and an application for the International Space Station (ISS).

For developing the lunar base design concept, the author has focused on the effect to human sensory stimulation by artistically manipulating exterior and interior design elements, such as lunar soil and solar panels and plants, water, and light, respectively. Lunar soil, which would be removed in the building process of a permanent lunar base underground, could be sculpted to create art and re-create familiar landscapes. Natural resources, such as edible plants, potable water tanks and natural lighting, could also be manipulated to form Public Art in the interiors of lunar bases or even for designing rooms in the ISS. 
For the application to the ISS, the author has introduced an art gallery where astronauts could relax even in a confined and isolated space. Such a gallery might become a new environment for expression in weightlessness. The author has initiated an experimental artwork for the micro-gravity environment, which is entitled "Sound Wave Sculpture,” that has been funded by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for testing aboard a parabolic flight. The new environment of the ISS art gallery will motivate professional artists, students, and even the general public to dream and explore new possibilities for expression. As a result of an expansion of artistic expression in space, people will become more educated about the cosmos. 

The role of art is to stimulate the imagination and to enhance the sensitivity of humans. In the near future, when generations of people may be living outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, the radical transformation of human values may be possible. The author believes that art in space can provide for this radical transformation in terms of health and for creating new perspectives for the people living on Earth and in space.

Abstract document

IAC-05-E5.2.02.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-05-E5.2.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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