Tag Archives: space

Japanese wooden satellite launched to help curb space trash

Posted on by

The media focus on rocket launches, moon landings, and Internet satellites has inspired many to look to the stars for the future of mankind. There are still plenty of areas on the Earth that can be explored, but our expansion can only expand upward at this point. But even before we get there, we are already filling our outer skies with dozens if not hundreds of small metal objects known as satellites, and their numbers are only expected to grow as we move forward.

Satellites have various applications, from communication to observation, but none of them so far remain in orbit in perpetuity. We are, thus, facing a two-headed problem of a myriad of these objects cluttering the space around our planet as well as plummeting back down, sometimes with disastrous results. To find out if there are more sustainable options, the world’s first wooden satellite just made its extraterrestrial voyage in the hopes of replacing metal with wood in the future.

Designers: Sumitomo Forestry, Kyoto University

Satellites can orbit the Earth for years, but they will eventually be decommissioned and fall back to Earth. Most of their mass will burn up on re-entry, but the burning metal will release dangerous aluminum oxide pollution into the atmosphere. Wood will also burn up, of course, but the effects on the environment will be significantly smaller.

Made from Japanese hinoki or cypress wood, the boxy LingoSat satellite is designed to test the theory of replacing metal satellites with wood-enclosed versions. The sides of the box are held together without screws or glue, using a traditional Japanese craft technique similar to dovetail joints. This method will help minimize the use of metal or potentially toxic materials that would burn in the atmosphere.

The experiment will test how well wood will fare in the harsh environment of space, such as extreme temperature fluctuations, and how well it can shield electronics inside from space radiation. The latter could have useful applications back here on Earth as shielding for semiconductors in data centers. If successful, this design could significantly help solve the problem of space trash and debris falling back down.

The LingoSat wooden satellite launched into space last Tuesday and will be heading to the International Space Station. From there, it will spend six months in orbit at a height of 400km (250 mi) above the Earth. Like any other satellite, it will eventually be decommissioned and fall down but with less fanfare.

The post Japanese wooden satellite launched to help curb space trash first appeared on Yanko Design.

Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra goes to space and cleans 110,000 feet above ground

Posted on by

If you’re a child of the 80s and the 90s, you probably remember this weird but cute little movie and book, The Brave Little Toaster. He eventually went to Mars for some reason on one of his adventures and some fun was had. Well now, we apparently have a Brave Little Vacuum as Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra became the first robot vacuum cleaner to go into space and perform some cleaning duties in extreme environments.

Designer: Roborock

The S8 MaxV Ultra is the brand’s most technologically advanced unit and it has proved itself by going into space and still perform as it should be, even within the harsh environment. It experienced temperatures below -60°C and both its battery and motor were still able to function well. It was even able to be integrated with the flight computer by modifying the control system, allowing it to connect with the ship’s computer and they were able to activate it during the flight.

As seen in the video they uploaded, the vacuum was still able to have all the parts, including the Flexi-Arm Design brushes moving even while in the aforementioned -60°C temperature and while suspended in the air, 110,000 feet above ground. But other than the control system, most of the overall mechanical systems were left unmodified, showing off the robo vacuum’s capabilities, including its ultra-reactive AI 2.0 obstacle recognition, built-in voice assistant, and Flexi-Arm Design.

But since not all of us will be going to space anyways, the S8 MaxV Ultra is still very useful for earth-bound people. It has features like the FlexiArm Design™ Side Brush and the Extra Edge Spinning Mop System that lets it have 100% corner coverage as it’s able to reach tight corners and crevices. It also has the VibraRise® 3.0 Mopping System that lets it do high-speed sonic mopping and the 20mm mop module lift that lets it automatically rise when cleaning carpets. So in the future, if you do go to space, you can take it along with you.

The post Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra goes to space and cleans 110,000 feet above ground first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEGO® Technic™ NASA model set brings the Lunar Rovel Module to your table

Posted on by

While LEGO® sets were probably originally built for kids to enjoy, most of the people I know who play with these patented bricks and sets are grownups. Granted, these are adults who were somehow “deprived” of owning some of these pretty expensive sets, it’s just one of those toys that can be enjoyed by children and adults of all ages. There are sets however that are especially built for grown-ups as they are pretty detailed and contain a lot of intricate and authentic parts.

Designer: Lego

This new LEGO® set they’re releasing in particular is meant for adults and will appeal to those who are into space travel. The LEGO® Technic™ NASA model set includes a displayable model version of the Lunar Rover Module that was aboard the historic Apollo 17 mission back in 1972. It also includes 3 attachable equipment sets that includes a lot of authentic details. Basically, this LEGO® set is for the big boys and girls who are very much interested in outer space and everything NASA.

If you are a frustrated (or aspiring) astronaut, you can test out some of the steering and suspension included in the set and play around with equipment like the model battery pack (with its heating and cooling elements), a TV camera with antennae, communications unit, and even a shovel and drill so you can pretend to find LEGO® Moon rock elements. There’s even a Traverse Gravimeter Experiment that was carried by the Apollo 17 during NASA’s very last Apollo mission.

Aside from the enjoyment of building this LEGO® set, you will also get a deeper insight in the Apollo missions (if you didn’t already know everything there is to know about it). The young ones may need adult assistance for this as there are a lot of detailed equipment with this and it’s a hefty 1,913-piece set.

The post LEGO® Technic™ NASA model set brings the Lunar Rovel Module to your table first appeared on Yanko Design.

ESA’s LEGO-like space bricks made from meteorite dust explore building houses on the Moon

Posted on by

In sci-fi movies and TV shows, we’ve seen houses or structures built on other planets and on the moon. That’s probably still decades away from actually happening but it doesn’t mean that we can’t start dreaming about it. And those that are actually involved in space things are doing more than just dreaming, they’re actually testing things out to prepare for the possibility. And now we’re getting the first tiny steps into thinking how we can build homes for the astronauts on the moon.

Designer: European Space Agency

The scientists at the ESA have come up with space bricks, similar to the LEGO bricks that a lot of them (and a lot of us) love. The idea is to explore whether the materials found on the moon can actually be used to build houses and other structures. It makes sense to use what’s already there rather than bringing over building materials from earth. The surface there has layers of rocks and mineral fragments called lunar regolith. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of that material here on Earth to actually play around with.

What the scientists did is to grind up 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite (which was found in North Africa 20 years ago) and mix them with some polylactide and regolith stimulant. The mixture was then used to 3D print some bricks in the style of LEGO. Since this is from meteorite, it only comes in “stylish space grey” color. With these bricks, they can test creating some small-scale structures to play around with the possibility of eventually using regolith to build houses on the Moon.

Some of the ESA space bricks will be displayed at selected LEGO stores so kids (and maybe adults) can play around with it. They want to encourage kids to become interested in space and build their own LEGO Moon bases. Seeing bricks that have billions of years materials on it seems like a pretty interesting experience if there’s a LEGO store near you.

The post ESA’s LEGO-like space bricks made from meteorite dust explore building houses on the Moon first appeared on Yanko Design.

An Interactive Lamp Series That Brings The Cosmic Moments Into Interiors

Posted on by

Space, with its vastness and complexity, has always captivated the human imagination. Our solar system, a celestial ballet of planets and stars, has inspired various aspects of human life and design, from ancient sundials to modern-day innovations. The COSMOOVAL lamp series is a testament to this inspiration, drawing on the phenomenal interconnectivity of our solar system to create a collection of lamps that not only illuminate spaces but also tell a cosmic story.

Designer: LFD Official – Seohyun Nam, Nam Woo Kim, Doyoon Kim

The designers of Cosmooval drew inspiration from the celestial bodies in our solar system, considering the way they influence our planet and the intricate dance of light and shadow they create. The lamp series incorporates key elements such as expandability, limitation, transparency, and immateriality to bring the essence of space into our living environments.

The design process began with the creation of a mood board, reflecting the tension and spatial dynamics of the universe. Simple basic figures, inspired by solar and lunar eclipses, shooting stars, and planetary movements, were arranged to evoke the mood of the cosmos. A clay mockup emphasized stability through the use of circles and triangles, laying the foundation for the lamp series’ structural elements.

Several idea sketches were explored, with the initial focus on a triangular structure within three circles. As the design evolved, proportions, details, and interactions were refined in subsequent sketches. The final design selected a form that considered materials, structure, and user interaction, resulting in three distinct types of lamps within the Cosmooval series.

Each lamp in the series offers a unique interaction with light, adding to the overall cosmic experience. The ceiling lamp, representing expandability, spreads light by adjusting the angle of an oval disk. The table lamp, embodying limitation, controls light brightness through the movement of a red sphere, mimicking the motion of a shooting star. The floor lamp, combining transparency and immateriality, simulates orbiting planets and solar eclipses, changing light intensity as the red sphere is manipulated.

Cosmooval, derived from the fusion of “Cosmo” (space) and “Oval” (ellipse), is more than just a lighting solution; it is an artistic representation of the cosmos. The series serves as a visual metaphor for planets, satellites, and shooting stars, moving in harmony with their orbits.

The ceiling lamp symbolizes the expansiveness of space, spreading light with three ovals arranged in a stable manner. By pulling the red sphere attached to a string, users can open and close the ovals, controlling the brightness and essential light in their space.

1

In the table lamp, a triangular structure controls the concentrated light source. Moving the red sphere along a diagonal line mimics the motion of a shooting star, allowing users to experience the fleeting brightness associated with celestial phenomena.

1

The floor lamp embodies transparency and immateriality, recreating the orbits of planets and solar eclipses. Pushing the red sphere sideways changes the shape and intensity of light, providing a dynamic representation of the passage of time and celestial revolutions.

1

The Cosmooval lamp series transcends conventional lighting, offering users an immersive experience that connects them to the wonders of our solar system. Through innovative design and thoughtful interaction, these lamps bring the cosmos into our living spaces, reminding us of the beauty and complexity of the universe that surrounds us.

The post An Interactive Lamp Series That Brings The Cosmic Moments Into Interiors first appeared on Yanko Design.

Odd drinking cup was designed to work in zero-gravity space without a straw

Posted on by

Hollywood has romanticized the idea of living in space or on other planets, but our current technologies have yet to catch up to the future painted by science fiction. Never mind the risks of blasting off into space, living on a space station can be extremely challenging, especially in the absence of gravity. Zero-G, as it is often called, can be fun once in a while and in short bursts, but having to constantly live in that environment turns activities we consider normal and mundane into an exercise in patience. The simple act of drinking, for example, requires sipping from a straw all the time, not exactly the most comfortable method for enjoying precious Earth liquids in space. That’s the problem that this space cup solves, but it accomplishes this impressive feat by taking on a shape that is almost literally out of this world.

Designer: Donald Pettit, Mark Weislogel

It’s only logical that liquids wouldn’t stay still inside a cup without the power of gravity, which is why drinks in space are taken from pouches with straws attached to them. It’s a simple and practical solution that makes drinking feel more like a mechanical act of survival than something that is enjoyed and treasured like those on Earth. NASA researcher Mark Weislogel and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit worked together, the former on Earth, the other on the International Space Station, to come up with a design that brings back the comforting experience of drinking normally from a cup.

The secret behind this “zero gravity coffee cup” is twofold. One is the special design where the cup has sharp crevices where two edges meet. The other is the way liquid behaves when placed in such a receptacle in zero gravity. The liquid is naturally drawn to those narrow spaces following the principle of capillary channel flow and, as if by magic, actually sticks to those edges without spilling out.

Owning the title of being the first cup that was actually designed in space, this zero-gravity drinkware’s first form was actually just a sheet of Mylar taped together at the edges to form a teardrop-shaped container. Of course, such a design hardly counts as a comfortable cup to drink from, so a more refined 3D printed food-grade plastic cup was made on Earth. Another model, this time made from ceramic, was later developed and became the first patented product invented outside of our planet.

The space cup’s unusual shape has raised a few eyebrows, and while it’s now available for sale on Earth from some sources, it doesn’t have the same magical capabilities demonstrated in zero-gravity space. Its alien design, however, does show how outside-the-box thinking will be necessary to have more “normal” experiences in space, and we have to expect that the first generation of what we consider to be ordinary products will take on sometimes unusual forms just so they can function in the same way.

The post Odd drinking cup was designed to work in zero-gravity space without a straw first appeared on Yanko Design.

Space-inspired titanium watch traces the Earth and Moon’s orbit around the Sun

Posted on by

Although the measurement of time is mostly a human construct, it has its basis in the natural world. A day is the time it takes for the sun to rise, set, and rise again, a month is how long it takes for the moon to go through all four of its phases, and a year is how long the seasons last. All of these, including the change of seasons, are pretty much the result of the orbit of the Earth around the sun and the orbit of the Moon around the Earth. It’s a movement that happens on a regular cadence without fail, which is to say it happens like clockwork. It’s no surprise, then, to find an elegant and luxurious watch that brings all these elements together, letting you watch not only the passage of time each day but also the journey of our planet and its companion.

Designer: Theo Auffret (Complication), Olivier Gamiette (Case, Dial) for SpaceOne Watches

Analog watches are already quite complex because of the mechanisms that make the parts move, but the SpaceOne Tellurium takes that to a whole new level with additional complications for its unique complication (pun intended). Aside from the typical hour and minute hands, this titanium watch also shows tiny versions of the Earth and the Moon going around a proportionally minuscule sun in the middle. The smaller spheres don’t simply go around the watch and call it a day, though, because the movement of these miniature Earth and Moon mirror the actual rhythm of their celestial counterparts.

Connected to the watch’s Soprod Caliber P024 movement is a star wheel with 31 teeth, representing the days in a month. When the date changes, this wheel advances two small star wheels, both with 12 teeth, that advance the month and move the Tellurium complication, respectively. The Earth, and therefore also the Moon, is connected to a ring with 365 teeth, which makes it complete a revolution once a year. With this mechanism, you can accurately follow the movement of the Earth and the Moon and even predict the next full or new moon phases. Consequently, it also means you will need to adjust and fine-tune the watch every time the number of days in a month changes between 30 and 31.

The watch’s celestial beauty is complemented by its premium materials and stunning design. Grade 5 titanium gives the case and strap buckle durability and lightness while also lending an elegant appearance. Instead of the typical quarter division of numbers, the watch face is divided into three sections only, forming a triangular shape that feels more suitable for a space-inspired design. This visual is further enhanced by a black and blue color scheme, with a sprinkle of white dots to represent stars against the darkness of space.

The post Space-inspired titanium watch traces the Earth and Moon’s orbit around the Sun first appeared on Yanko Design.

Concept for a hotel in space reimagines outer space living

Posted on by

When you think about living in space, the Jetsons’ house is probably the first thing that comes to mind (well, that is if you’re of the generation that regularly watched the animated series). We’re basically imagining how we live on earth but transported to space so there may be some advanced technology things floating around. But the reality is that housing in outer space will probably be very different from how we live on our planet.

Designer: Acromnia Studio

The Acromnia Orbital Hotel is a speculative concept design for how we may actually live in space and it is vastly different from what we’re probably imagining. Instead of just transporting a futuristic looking regular hotel room to space, this is actually a “room” that doesn’t have any furniture or any of the other trappings that we expect from it. Inside the shell (we can barely call it a room), you have a sort of shape-shifting, responsive material that will adapt to what the occupant needs at a certain time.

For example, when it’s sleeping time, the walls will envelop you, which is not so good news if you’re not a fan of closed spaces. In fact, the entire space has a bit of a claustrophobic look to it so it’s not something I’m looking forward to. There are also various buttons and navigation devices that you can use to control what elements and furniture will come out when you need them. The shell also has micropores that will let things like sound, light, scent, and air flow freely through your space.

The hotel room can exist independently as a hexahedron-shaped structure or it can also be put together to form a network of capsules. Living in space outside of space shuttles is still such a conceptual idea that things like this seem light years away for now. But for design companies and for those that are looking into space travel, it’s never too early to plan how we’re going to live and survive outside of Earth.

The post Concept for a hotel in space reimagines outer space living first appeared on Yanko Design.

Space elevator concept will make travel to the stars more accessible

Posted on by

If you’ve watched a lot of science-fiction or future-based movies and TV series, then you’ve seen a lot of products and inventions that may seem impossible and fantastical now. But over the past decades, we’ve seen a lot of advancement in technology that some of these, especially those that were released in the 80s, have actually come true. And those that seem improbable now can actually become reality in the near and far future.

Designer: Jordan William Hughes

This conceptual design for a space elevator seems right out of a movie but it is actually based on data from existing research by physicists and engineers. If this eventually becomes a reality, space travel would become much easier and maybe even affordable. It will be a more viable alternative to the existing space travel that is currently possible with rockets. It will also save a ton of fuel that is currently being utilized.

The concept is for an asteroid in geostationary orbit to serve as the counterweight for this spaceport. The elevator will be connected to the ocean through a robust tether that will transport it from the asteroid to Earth. Drones will be able to go up and down the tether and be able to transport both cargo and people. The idea is for the space station to be more than 26,000 kilometers above Earth and then the spaceport here on our planet to be at sea-level.

The spaceport will also be a movable vessel so it can also not be limited by possible bad weather conditions. The concept art still seems to be pretty fantastical and right out of a sci-fi fantasy movie. But in the next few years, we can see if this is actually something possible.

The post Space elevator concept will make travel to the stars more accessible first appeared on Yanko Design.

Space-inspired everyday products prepare us for a zero-gravity future

Posted on by

Many people these days dream about living on other planets or at least inside orbiting space stations, but few actually consider how very different life would be outside the Earth’s gravity. Of course, Hollywood tends to romanticize a lot of everyday life, but as astronauts will testify, living in space, even if just to reach the Moon or Mars, is no walk in the park. Even the simplest activities like drinking water can be awkward and disorienting in zero-g, at least if you consider using Earth-bound objects to do so. That’s why this trio of designs tries to reimagine some of the most mundane products we use in daily life and transform them into objects that are ready for our space-faring future.

Designers: Subin Kim, Jagyeong Baek, Jaeyeon Lee

Most of us understand that without gravity, things tend not to stay down, but few actually envision the ramifications of that fact. Products designed on Earth naturally presume an amount of stability, and the way they are handled or controlled is limited in the same manner. For example, a lot of everyday things only have handles on one side or work in a single direction, a presumption that doesn’t make much sense or even becomes counterproductive when the objects are floating in space.

Spatio is a collection of these everyday objects that have been redesigned with zero gravity in mind. Or to put it more simply, it doesn’t make presumptions on where and how it will function, making it work both on Earth, on Mars, or in the International Space Station. Aqua, for example, is a water bottle that replaces a traditional cup that has a single handle on one side only. In contrast, this bottle has four extrusions in cardinal directions that act as handles and a cover that lets you drink by sucking rather than sipping from the lip of a mug.

Sonus is a wireless speaker that really defies the traditional design of speakers. Inspired by the moon’s spherical shape, each of the “craters” on its surface pops up a tiny omnidirectional speaker when pressed. The more units that pop out, the louder it gets, acting is an unconventional form of volume control. The important difference is that you don’t have to shift or move the speaker to one side or the other just to reach those controls.

And then there’s Lumia, a star-shaped flashlight that can shine in any direction. Simply turning the central wheel switches the direction of the light so that it works regardless of how you’re holding it. While these products were designed with space living in mind, it’s not difficult to imagine them working just as well on Terra Firma, proving that truly accessible design benefits everyone everywhere, even if they’re living in outer space.

The post Space-inspired everyday products prepare us for a zero-gravity future first appeared on Yanko Design.