Thais Zuchetti

Lunar Lessons: habitat for interplanetary living

Lunar Lessons is the design of a planetary habitat aimed at knowledge transfer between the Moon and Earth. The idea is to learn from the Moon what it takes to live in an unlivable place, so that we could perhaps apply such lessons to an alien Earth in the future. On the other hand, the lessons from Earth are a direct alternative to the coming space exploration settlements, which are often envisioned and developed to look as clinical and cramped as possible, and provide just the bare minimum for astronauts. 

Through the process, it became clear the fact that ‘cramped’ and ‘bare minimum’ conditions for the inhabitants are not exclusive characteristics of lunar habitats; the lessons from the Moon are closer to home than what we expect. ‘Lunar Lessons: Habitat for planetary living’ is, in fact, a project about the people (regardless of which planet they are on). Thinking of the people, the Moon base is designed from the perspective of the wellbeing of the crew, incorporating conceptual architectural techniques from Earth to simulate not only the variety of spaces and atmospheres we are used to on our planet, but also the interactions between people and the rituals from home.

Graduation date:: 29 January 2024
Graduation committee: Stephan Verkuijlen (mentor), Bernard Foing, Natalie Dixon
Additional members for the exam: Raul Corrêa-Smith, Rachel Keeton