“Space Bar One” - a Strategic Brief for Leisure Drinking Space in Commercial Space Flights

Paper number

IAC-07-E5.I.07

Author

Mr. David Wong, United Kingdom

Year

2007

Abstract

This paper begins by asking the question “if a Space bar was to be built tomorrow, what would it
be like?”
With the predicted imminent bloom of space tourism and its associated industries within the next
couple of decades, aerospace professions are faced with the challenge to deliver increasingly
complex spatial programs for the upcoming market of commercial spaceflights, with an aspiration
for a much better quality of living than what is available today.
This paper strives to discuss the likely identity and characteristics for a “Space bar” in the context
of future commercial space flights. The scope will focus on the near future period when space
tourism industry is set to bloom rapidly. Taking references from the design principles behind
contemporary bar design, this paper attempts to establish a framework of relevant issues that
should be considered throughout the design process.
The paper will begin with some of the prerequisite conditions that would make “Space bar” a
feasible concept. These include not only technical criteria, but also economic and legal issues
that must be resolved at the outset. The discussion will follow by describing how some of these
factors will have significant impacts on “Space bar” design.
The microgravity environment would certainly make for a genuinely unique leisure drinking
experience. However it also presents some significant challenges to the human factor aspects of
design. This paper strives to make suggestions on how to ensure the design remains userfriendly
and accessible to the future space tourists, without the requirement of extensive pretrainings.
The novelty of a “Space bar” is more than just a leisure module which adds values to the
commercial space flights. Through branding in association with mainstream consumer products,
the operation of a Space bar has real market potentials to generate some very substantial
business opportunities in conventional markets. This paper will briefly discuss these opportunities,
and how they may become the key business model that could make the “Space bar”
economically viable at a much earlier time.
The paper will conclude with a summarising diagram and a list of recommendations and
guidelines for future Space bar design based on the study.

Abstract document

IAC-07-E5.I.07.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-E5.I.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.