From cradle to?
Design in context of space exploration
The Earth. Quite a cozy place to live in. In fact, that is the only place in our solar system which provides all living conditions we need. This is where we started our existence, where we evolved, gained knowledge and built civilizations. This place made us who we are and gave us an opportunity to develop. We started to explore, discover new places and settle where living conditions were satisfying our needs. Now as we explored most of the Earth we started our journey to outer space. But why do we do that? Is it just a curiosity about what’s behind the corner? The need of discovering isn’t the only reason. For humankind this move is necessary. We already know that every cycle has its beginning and the end. Either we leave or we are in danger for extinction.
Russian scientist and pioneer of cosmonautics Konstantin Tsiolkovsky wrote in one of his letters that Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in a cradle forever.
What are our chances of finding a new home? It all depends on us. We already made our first steps. Every day gives us new information about the surrounding space and its features. Our research even lead us to Earth-like planets but this long distance travels are yet out of our reach. Finding a completely suitable environment is close to impossible but what we can do is to choose a place which complies with basic requirements and adapt it to our needs.
We are very lucky to be in a short distance from a planet that became an obsession of everyone since manned space flights started — Mars. I said lucky because this is the only planet in our reach that could give us hope for colonization. About four billion years ago Mars wasn’t much different from Earth. Life on Mars probably didn’t have a chance to develop before it dried out but the planet was active. There are signs of the presence of water that left serious marks giving us the proof of it. We can also find volcanos and crater pockmarks. The planet’s atmosphere was decomposed by the time the algae had a chance to evolve making it thicker and protective. The planet cooled out and lost its magnetic field. Now comparing to Earth it’s empty and most likely lifeless. This gives us a clue why we are so interested in going there. It’s not only that Mars is so close.
Ashwin Vasavada — MSL Project Scientist known for the Curiosity rover which landed on Mars in 2012 claims:
It’s a place that you can go today that’s like going to early Earth. You remove that dusty exterior of Mars, and you have this planet that is just so reminiscent of Earth. It’s like finding a dusty Earth in your attic. Shake off the dust a little bit, and it’s this amazing place that you can recognize. That’s why I like it.
This point of view teaches us a lot how fragile life can be and how bad things can go. But also it reveals the big capability of this planet. If it wasn’t this different from Earth then maybe someday it will be possible for us to live there.
For now lethal radiation, almost no pressure (0,6% of Earths pressure), an atmosphere composed mostly of Carbon dioxide, low temperature (-133°C to 27°C) makes it an extremally difficult environment for humans. Despite that, this is the most suitable place for us yet other than on Earth.
We can not go there unprepared. To survive we have to create our own life-supporting systems. Everything depends on our skills and proficiency. Every mistake can cost us lives and can decide on the success of the mission.
If we want to colonize Mars we need to create an artificial human-friendly environment from the ground up. This is where designers have much to say.
Rocket science is challenging but most difficult part of it is the human factor.
The science itself and engineering level wouldn’t be that much problematic if it didn’t have to count human as a part of the system. We already have an experience in sending tech gear into deep space. Usually, this kind of aperture does not require anything but good engineering work. When it comes to human the situation is quite different according to its demanding nature.
Technology is predictable. You can depend on it and measure its durability. It doesn’t complain about difficult conditions and even if it does we can adjust it for the special purpose. Neither it needs a training course or any kind of briefing. The only problem with it is that when it fails then it’s most likely already gone. This is why every outcome has to be tested for multiple times before the launch. Human needs to be prepared and trained for every task but as an intelligent being we can improvise and adapt to the situation which is undeniably an advantage. Though for space traveling the technology is significant and it becomes a form of our adaptation to this strange and extremely dangerous environment. The key to success is a compromise when the technology has not only to comply with functional requirements but also to be human-friendly. It has to respect every aspect of our complex nature including all bodily functions, ergonomics, and psychological factors. Finding perfect solutions takes time but only experimental studies can give us this much information about issues we might face in long duration space transits. We have learned a lot in the matter of manned space missions since Yuri Gagarin completed an orbit of the Earth in 1961. We managed to land on the Moon and have been successively sending astronauts to space stations for more than 40 years. That gives us an enormous insight into basis of living in microgravity and surviving in space.
Now we are in face of serious programs establishing going to Moon and Mars. Our goal is colonization. This perspective demands solutions conforming aspects of living in a difficult environment and confined space of habitats. This applies both to journey, landing and exploratory activities on the planet.
How to prepare for this kind of challenge?
Based on longstanding experience and latest scientific achievements we can observe and specify many problems already solved with technology and improve it. The other way is to think of new exploratory ideas that might become practical and more efficient than conventional methods. The moment when designers and engineers start to work on the same assignment becomes very important because it means we really start to think of space exploration as an activity for humans in general, not only specialized scientists. Even now only best qualified can cope with space flights but it’s much better when the technology doesn’t serve its goods at the expense of their comfort — the stake is high and the failure is not an option.
Note: The data may vary due to different sources.
