In a challenge presented by NASA, Pratt architecture and industrial design students were inspired to address design concerns related to space travel. For an interdisciplinary studio class led by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture Michael Morris and Adjunct Associate Professor of Industrial Design Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, the students worked on the eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) 2016 Academic Innovation Challenge “Human Centered: Designs for the Mars Transit Habitat,” a NASA project collaboration with academic institutions to develop a transit habitat, or module, for the exploration of Mars.
The students designed the habitat and built two full-scale prototypes of elements of their design. Their work was showcased at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan in July 2016. This short video, which was included in the museum exhibit, takes a look at the project and the design process.