Future-ish: Space Travel

Publication Information | Future-ish, 2024. Published in Schmidt, S. G. (2024). Future-ish: case studies and context for exploring the science, design, and culture shaping the future (2nd ed.). Innovative Ink Publishing.

Abstract

In 2007, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian to travel in space and stay in the International Space Station (ISS). Shukor’s journey was groundbreaking in many ways. He was among the first individuals identified as spaceflight participants by Russian and United States agencies and he was the first Muslim to stay on the ISS. Shukor worked closely with Malaysian Islamic religious leaders to determine how to carry out aspects and practices of the Islamic faith during his mission, which coincided with the observance of Ramadan in that particular year. Although other astronauts and space participants also practiced aspects of their particular worldview or religion while in space, Shukor’s experience gained significant media coverage given the timing and complexity of his unique situation. His seminal voyage also set the stage for subsequent Muslim and other space travelers to practice their worldviews and religions while in space, demonstrating that science and religion can and do coexist.

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NewsFusion for September 2019

Science...

Astronauts make cement in space | Space.com
Global robotics investments exceed $16 billion | Business Wire
New field of ecological forecasting integrates many and diverse sciences | Science Magazine

Design...

Fast Company names 2019 Innovation By Design Awards | Fast Company
Tailoring a sustainable future for fashion | PBS News Hour
Design Week Mexico runs October 3-27, 2019 | Design Week Mexico

Culture...

Hawaii's Mauna Kea Protests Strike Common Chord Around The Globe | Forbes
New South Wales passes laws to recognize and revive aboriginal languages | Voice of America
Nepal Selects 'Bulbul' for International Feature Category Oscars | The Hollywood Reporter

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NewsFusion for April 2019

Science...

Design...

Culture...

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NewsFusion for September 2017

Science...

Brane Craft poised to collect space debris | Popular Science
Farewell Cassini: mission to Saturn's last chapter | NASA JPL
The physics of a hyperloop test run | Wired

Design...

Elon Musk reveals full SpaceX spacesuit | CNBC
Five must-see field trips during Helsinki Design Week | Dezeen
Designing for our grandparents will be next big thing in design | Quartz

Culture...

Nike steps up for female Muslim athletes with new Pro Hijab product | Fast Company: Co.Design
LA City Council replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day | LA Times
Disney's Moana now available in Māori | Radio New Zealand

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NewsFusion for April 2016

Science...

More success for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and New Shepard rocket | Huffington Post
Got VR? Check out the panoramic tour of the International Space Station | ESA
New tech in wildlife conservation: from 3D-printed eggs with sensors to drones | Wired

Design...

Isaac Mizrahi: Champion of accessible design
Tegan Bukowski, staffer and mentee, remembers Zaha Hadid | New York Times
Goodyear's concept for 3D-printed spherical tires | PopSci

Culture...

Hawaii's 2016 Merrie Monarch Festival: overall winner is Halau Na Mamo o Pu‘uanahulu
Iceland's unique perspective on marriage, i.e. not much need for it | CNN
In response to need for more women's voices in Africa, Eliza Anyangwe starts Nzinga Effect | The Guardian

Cocktail Astronomy | From Russia with Love

Boosters of Soyuz rocket, Expedition 37.
Image credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer our Cocktail Astronomy post each Friday.

A bouquet of red roses has long been a symbol of love and often proceeds cocktails or a fine wine. We think these almost three-dozen red nozzles on the boosters for the Soyuz rocket used in Expedition 37/38 to the International Space Station (ISS) are just as expressive and clearly symbolize the international cooperation involved in space travel. Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 25, 2013 the mission will deliver astronauts Oleg Kotov, Mike Hopkins, and Sergey Ryazanskiy to the ISS for a 6 month, multi-phase mission.

On a science and religion CAN co-exist note...the mission was also blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest...

Image credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

Cocktail pairing: Na zdaroviye! The Ballet Ruse

Cocktail Astronomy | Curiosity's Extraterrestrial Selfie

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer our Cocktail Astronomy post each Friday.

Ok, we've all done it. Had a little too many cocktails at a party and then the shameless selfies start snapping. Well, Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover, couldn't help itself either and in Feb 2013 produced what may well be the first extraterrestrial selfie. Curiosity's selfie is actually made up of 66 individual selfies taken by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) which was cleverly positioned out of frame during the selfie fest. The selfie does actually serve a purpose though, it was used to document the first rock drilling site, a flat outcrop referred to as "John Klein". It's OK Curiosity, we've all been there.

SeanChron: Happy [Beyond Earth] Birthday to Me

NASA, you shouldn't have...you've outdone yourself! I couldn't think of a better present than my birthday going down in history as the day that commercial space flight began. Today, SpaceX, the private commercial space flight company lead by Elon Musk of PayPal and Tesla fame, partnered with NASA to launch the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule on a historic mission. It truly is a milestone in history. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden summarized it well:

"We're now back on the brink of a new future, a future that embraces the innovation the private sector brings to the table. The significance of this day cannot be overstated.

Watch the launch here:

SpaceX To Make First Commercial Space Flight

A new era in space travel has arrived. On May 2, 2012, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a mission to the International Space Station marking the first time a private company has launched a capsule into space. Based in Hawthorne, California, SpaceX is a space transport company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, founder of PayPal. SpaceX developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 space boosters to be available for reusable launch vehicles.

Once launched, the booster will dispatch Dragon, a free-flying, reusable capsule developed by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Dragon offers a pressurized capsule and unpressurized trunk for use in low Earth orbit cargo and crew.

Cocktail Astronomy | Red Bull Gives Humanity Wings

Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer our Cocktail Astronomy post each Friday.

For many hipsters, Red Bull and cocktails go hand and hand. There's nothing like an energy drink cocktail to keep the party going for the night owl crowd. So with a slogan like "Red Bull Gives You Wings" and a fetish for action/adventure sports, it should come as no surprise that Red Bull is the title sponsor behind one of the most exciting developments in human 'edge of space' travel. The goal of the mission, Red Bull Stratos, is to learn more about the human response to high altitude conditions in order to make such travel safer for both pilots and future space tourists as we begin to spend more time at such altitudes.

The mission is full of valuable science and technology learning opportunities but one of the primary elements is the development and use of a cutting edge space suit that both protects individual and provides structural and functional value. Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is the man making the freefall jump from the edge of space at supersonic speed and judging from his statements in interviews and on mission blog posts, he's loving every foot of his long descents during test phases. We also love the fact that Stratos is not only pushing the boundaries of human space travel, it is pushing the boundaries - literally - of advertising. Product placement just got cosmic!

Cocktail Astronomy | Mars Curiosity

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer our Cocktail Astronomy post each Friday.

This week we are super excited about the launch of Curiosity, the most advanced rover ever to land on another planet. Curiosity and the and the Mars Science Library (MSL) are on their way to Mars where it will investigate whether the landing region has had environmental conditions favorable for supporting microbial life. Curiosity is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on November 26, 2011 aboard a Atlas V rocket. Touchdown on Mars should be in August of 2012. Best of all, you can follow Curiosity on Facebook and Twitter, which is the next best thing to heading to Mars yourself.

Cocktail Astronomy | NASA: "We Want You"

Here at Future-ish, we love astronomy and we love cocktails. So to prep our fans (and ourselves) for those stellar weekend cocktail conversations, we are pleased to offer our Cocktail Astronomy post each Friday.

In this week's Cocktail Astronomy, we want to let you know about a stellar career opportunity...literally. NASA recently announced that they are seeking new applicants for their Astronaut Corps. That's right, NASA has posted a help wanted sign. If you have a background in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics NASA would like to hear from you. According to their website, NASA is continuing space exploration programs that will include missions beyond low Earth orbit and has a need for astronaut candidates to support the International Space Station (ISS) Program and future deep space exploration activities. So...finish off that martini and get started on your application!

Plants in space

7.12.11. An interesting post by Jim McCausland, one of the editors over at Sunset Magazine. In View from space: the REALLY big picture McCausland writes on his connection with astronaut Rex Walheim, his thoughts on the Space Shuttle's last mission, and the role plants in past and future space travel and research.

STS-135 - The final Space Shuttle Mission

STS-135 is the final mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the NASA Space Shuttle Program. Scheduled to lift off at 11:36 on Friday, July 8, 2011, the final mission marks the end of an era. The veteran crew, calling themselves "The Final Four", include Commander Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus, and Rex Walheim. STS-135 is a 12-day mission to the International Space Station carrying the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module which contains supplies and spare parts for the space station. To commemorate the event, Science Channel has developed a TV Special, Last Shuttle: Our Journey that will air on Friday, July 8th at 10:00pm Eastern/Pacific. View the trailer below:

Spaceflight Turns 50

4/11/11 - Google celebrated the 50th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's space flight (на русском языке здесь) with a special Google Doodle (shown above). С юбилеем космического полета!

All you need is the rocket experience

Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience from Buzz Aldrin

Astronaut Buzz Aldren recently teamed up with Snoop Dogg and the folks at Funny or Die to produce a pretty far out rap, Rocket Experience. The song actually has a pretty good groove and best of all, a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Rocket Experience will go to ShareSpace Foundation.

Culture Icon, Design Idol, & Sceleb - Susmita Mohanty

"Home Sweet Spaceship" might be the motto of designer, engineer, and space entrepreneur Susmita Mohanty. Mohanty, a firm believer that space training, travel, and living must consider humans over machines, is revolutionizing the future of space travel with her unique background and vision of the future. Mohanty's passion for space started during high school in Ahmedabad, India where the ancient city itself inspired her interest in design and her Father inspired her interest in technology. Her keen interest in design and science lead her to a bachelors degree in engineering, masters degrees in industrial design and space studies, and more recently a Ph. D. in architecture from the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden. Mohanty then spent time on projects connected to Boeing, NASA, the Mir Shuttle, and the International Space Station before starting several of her own ventures including Moonfront, Liquifer, and Earth 2 Orbit.

Mohanty has been recognized with many honors. In 2005 she was the youngest recipient of the Women in Aerospace International Achievement Award...but even more impressive - from a pop culture perspective - was that she was voted one of San Francisco's Top 20 under 40 in 2004.

Key words from her personal manifesto may provide the best inside into her motivations:

Transcend. Shed. Embrace. Encourage Technology convergence. Collaborate across disciplines and cultures. Catalyze. Minimize, Maximize, Eliminate. Redefine, Address, Develop. Identify, Apply. Think Hybrid. Think Programmable. Think Holistic. Think Intelligent. Think Sustainable.

Louis Vuitton honors astronaut journeys

The marriage of great science and design just reached new heights. Louis Vuitton's latest Core Values ad campaign, Louis Vuitton Journeys, honors the inspiring personal and professional journeys of three astronauts, Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell. The photo ad above (taken by Annie Leibovitz), website, and video below are previews for a full campaign that will be launched in July 2009.