Life on Mars. Space design in London
Ever since mankind began its conquest of the extra-terrestrial world, work for the space industry has become a small, yet extremely interesting part of the design sector. Think, for example, of the architect Galina Balaschowa, interior designer for the Soviet space programme from 1963 to 1980, or the design of food trays used for eating in zero gravity, to mention just a couple of examples. And the «conquest» of the planet Mars, destined to be the next stage of manned space flight, involves designing spacecraft not only for the journey, but also as a living environment for potential settlement on Mars. The Moving to Mars exhibition, on display at the Design Museum London from 16 October 2019 to 1 March 2020, provides an overview of ideas and visions that have already become reality, with exhibits from NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX and AI Space Factory, plus designs by Raymond Loewy and Konstantin Grcic. Visitors will have the opportunity to marvel at a life-size Mars habitat, special vehicles and food farms, as well as fashion inspired by the Red Planet. And at the end we are confronted with the question – should we even be attempting to travel to Mars?
