12-05, 11:20–11:40 (Europe/Luxembourg), Banquet Room
Habitats on Earth are part of a larger macroenvironment that provides infrastructure, supplies, and services, alongside the microenvironment within each habitat. When designing for human space travel, all macro and micro aspects are considered. Deep space design includes everything from the transportation to the buildings, devices, and breathable air. Therefore, the concept of the macroenvironment includes infrastructure systems beyond individual mission requirement. Given the limited human space travel experience, further ventures into space require increased involvement. What does an infrastructure plan on the Moon look like, and how does that compare to supporting deeper missions in the solar system and interstellar travel? Answering such questions aids in designing for extended space travel and envisioning long-term infrastructure and maintenance strategies.
This analysis outlines and assesses designing for the (i) main survival and functional elements needed for sustainable space travel across various destinations and mission types, from cislunar to interstellar, (ii) quantities and interconnected requirements, (iii) the technology status, and (iv) the anticipated timeline for achieving the technology readiness.
The tables and matrices present basic elements exploring space and terrain requirements for energy systems, and supplies like food, water, and gases, comparing their use for single missions versus their role as infrastructure for multi-missions. The assessment charts the requirements and technology readiness for cislunar, planetary, and interstellar trips. The evaluation involves referencing previous studies related to the sequence and technological requirements for both achieved and anticipated travel such as ISP and Road Map to the Stars. Additionally recent documented advancements in space travel since 2015 are used for comparison and to project the future pace of space exploration utilizing aggregated design items such as Starship Gliina System.
In extended space travel, the complexity of designing macroenvironmental and infrastructural requirements grows significantly. The assessment of the components’ requirements shows an exponential increase in magnitude as travel distances and intervals expand. That aligns with the trajectory of technological readiness capability timelines. Such realistic guidelines enhance the design of infrastructure and maintenance components, improving resilience, longevity, maintainability, and maintenance protocols while decreasing the burden of involving several macroenvironment elements in each mission. While the proposed types and aspects of infrastructure for deep space exploration are being assessed, it may still be premature to define them for interstellar travel until further technological advancements are realized.
Antoine is a designer, artist, futurist, and storyteller with a multidisciplinary approach that combines elements of architecture, astronomy, science, history, archaeology, ancient mythology, art, and linguistics. He has lectured, written, and published on these topics.
Faddoul is an advocate for revolutionizing space travel through integrated space architecture, an innovative space economy, and novel technologies. He has compiled one hundred design aspects necessary for human space travel, evaluating them from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to interstellar travel, while assessing both current and future technological developments. Faddoul holds a degree in architecture and a master’s degree in project management.