“The interior design [of the Haven-1] is warm and inviting,” says a statement from Vast, adding that the aesthetics were guided by designer Peter Russell-Clarke, who has shaped some of Apple’s most iconic products.
“Haven-1’s human-centric industrial design introduces new dimensions of bold creativity and efficiency and creates a new standard for interior design in space,” continues Vast’s statement.
“In addition to having this [station] available immediately for private astronauts, we are also making it available to private astronaut commercial missions as well as government agencies,” says Coe.
The station, she says, is “where we get to put our stake in the ground as the next generation of living and thriving and not just surviving in space.”
Comfort is, therefore, key.
“You’ll be able to adjust things like temperature and lighting,” says Coe. “One of the really important pieces of feedback we’ve gotten from ISS astronauts is the proper regulation of circadian rhythms. We’ve taken painstaking care to fit the right kind of lighting so life on board feels as normal as possible.”
Will Vast employees get staff discounts?
“I hope so!” says Coe, a commercial pilot. “I’ve never worked at a place where you just walk the halls, and every single person you run into is so excited. I think it’s within our lifetime that we could see space travel become normal. It won’t necessarily be the same price as a United plane ticket, but certainly something that many of us could aspire to, whether funded by a sponsoring organization or privately funded.”
But, as environmentalists like to point out, there’s no Planet B, so shouldn’t we be more focused on problems closer to home rather than dallying with space travel?
“These two things are not mutually exclusive,” says Coe.
“Space research and observation are more important to our daily lives than many people imagine. Tracking weather patterns and measuring climate change doesn’t just happen; much of that information comes from space satellites; it comes from astronauts making observations and being able to do the research in space that benefits us back on Earth.”
Home From Home
And that vital work can be helped with creature comforts designed to keep space tourists happy. Haven-1 was designed so “it can feel like you’re at home,” says Coe. But functional with it.
“I’ve flown three missions to space,” says Andrew Feustel, a NASA astronaut for 23 years, “and we are learning from those experiences and innovating to improve the way we can live and work on a space station.”
He and other astronauts have helped Vast with its design work.
“From communication and connectivity, to private space and interacting with others aboard, to advancing human progress on Earth and beyond, every detail [on the Haven-1] has been designed with the astronaut experience at the core of our work,” stressed Feustel.
Intimately acquainted with the needs of astronauts working in microgravity, Feustel has been an enthusiastic adjunct to Haven-1’s design team: “Intuitive design [for space] isn’t a luxury; it’s key to ensuring astronauts can work and live seamlessly. To see Haven-1’s design solve many of the challenges we faced aboard the ISS and to use the progress we made there to ensure we can do this long-term while caring for ourselves is just extraordinary.”
