Moving to Mars – opens today at The Design Museum in London exploring how sending humans to Mars is not just a scientific frontier but a design challenge as well.
There’s a surprising amount of kid friendly spaces here as well as all the tech details to keep fathers happy.
For me the most striking part is a vast triple screen film installation where a moulded floor replicates the surface of Mars against a mix of computer generated and actual Mars Rover footage, combined with an imagined Mars atmospheric perfume and sounds which feels like the closest thing to actually standing on the surface most of us will ever experience.
For all the dry details, there are fun things to see, a silver mini spaceship pod for kids to climb in and out of, a life size and scaled down ExoMars Rover and similar vehicles that have a friendly tech toy look and some giant deck chairs you sink into and incline backwards as you watch a movie simulation of a future world lift off to the red planet.
There’s also a small kids library area with a 3D plastic printed lounging chair to pop the kids down while you watch a film detailing the way we are losing Earth species every day now and to finish you can all vote with magnetic rockets on a big wall display if you would be brave enough to travel to Mars or prefer to stay on Earth
For older teenagers there are old and future space suits which have a creepy movie feel when empty, some great architectural models of possible living pods and a full size imagining of a Mars living habitat by design firm Hassell you can step through.
The British fashion designer renowned for his reuse and recycling of fabric Christopher Raeburn has also created garments that are made from lightweight solar blankets and parachutes from the initial landings. He insisted that a sewing machine would need to be requirement of any living quarters and one is installed in the explorers den.
Hydroponic farming is likely to be an important element to survival and there are GrowStock areas with trays of fresh greens under synthetic sunlight.
The exhibition runs till 23rd February 2020 at The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG #generationmars
Mars ExoRover and scale models at Moving to Mars at The Design Museum, Kensington
Central section of the immersive Mars landscape triple screen area
The kids play rocket they can run through and around and explore the paintings inside
Prototype Mars spacesuit by Gary l Harris and Dr de Leon at the University of North Dakota
An imagined Mars Habitat 3D printed by Foster + Partners
Space Food, the ritual of meals is considered very important for wellbeing in Space
Growing plants hydroponically under glowing pink lights
Christopher Raeburn’s reused parachute and insulating materials for clothing
3D plastic printed interior of a Mars Habitat pod by Hassell with a recycled fabric animal backpack by Christopher Raeburn
The kids library reading corner with 3D printed plastic lounger
All photos by Smudgetikka – all rights reserved
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