session 3

Title

Space Architecture: Exploration and Tourism

type

oral

Description

Space exploration, as we know it, used to be the forte of government space agencies. But that is set to change forever, in part because of the changing economic reality and in part due to the entry of new private players vying to provide both private tourists and a paying government customer, rides on their spaceships. Take Bigelow, or Space-X, or Virgin Galactic, or any of those new companies out there that have injected new life, even enthusiasm into the words EXPLORATION and TOURISM. These companies are developing a whole new generation of rockets, habitable modules, cargo ferries and suborbital space planes. As the Shuttle gets ready to retire, it will see a new genre of human and cargo crafts that will take over and steer the world into a new era in space exploration. It is in this context that the role of Space Architecture and Design assumes greater meaning and significance. More than anybody else, it will be the private space tourists that will force the tourism companies to hire the brightest and the best in the business of architecture and design. Unlike the astronauts, they have every right to be fussy and can and will complain if the ride is a bad one. This will put habitability and human factors, even style, on top of the design agenda, on par with safety and survivability. Even human planetary exploration will be changed forever by this transition. Many of the products and services required by government missions and crews on the surface of the Moon - and for testing activities in Earth orbit - need not be developed by traditional government aerospace contracts. Re-supply of fuel, food, and other consumables, equipment maintenance, and other services could well be provided by companies or other nations whose offerings cross over to commercial customers as well. This session aims to provide a platform to present designs that will shape the look of future spacecraft that will lead us into a new age in exploration and tourism.

Date

2010-09-29

Time

10:15

Room

Forum

IPC members

• Chairman: Dr. Susmita Mohanty, Earth2Orbit, LLC, India;

• Chairman: Dr. Anna Barbara Imhof, Liquifer Systems Group (LSG), Austria;

• Rapporteur: Mr. Brent Sherwood, United States;