INNOVATION
The ISS and past stations have been geared more toward functionality, and we wanted to nudge the needle a bit more toward comfort.
able,” says Motter. “It won’t be quite like a hotel, but the crew will be able to have more opportunities to enjoy their off time. The ISS and past stations have been geared more toward functionality, and we wanted to nudge the needle a bit more toward comfort.” A New and Improved Space Suit While Axiom Station will be the home base, there will be times when crewmembers will per- form extravehicular activities to conduct maintenance and per- haps other tasks. Current space suits were mostly designed in the 1980s and have been need- ing improvement. Axiom Space has been working closely with NASA to develop the Axiom Extravehicular Mobil- ity Unit, the next-generation spacesuit Axiom Station crew- members and NASA Artemis moon mission astronauts will all wear. The spacesuit will be a safer, more usable, and stylish upgrade. It will be more streamlined and easily customizable for all users. From a work standpoint, the suits will be more flexible, sup - porting more diverse scientific applications, better mobility, and greater precision. The new suits will also have numer- ous additional components to enhance safety.
“My job is to build an awesome station within a reasonable budget and within time,” says Motter. “We’ve got to launch before the end of the ISS. But at the same time, we need to reduce the risks as much as possible. We’re not rushing, but we’re not resting either.”
offering a panoramic view of the home planet and surrounding space and providing crewmem- bers a place for observation and reflection. The observatory is one of many features being incorporated into Axiom Station. The idea is to create an environment that offers something approaching true work-life balance. On the ISS, crewmembers rest in tiny, closet-sized rooms. Their sleep- ing bags are tethered to the walls, so people don’t randomly float around the station—a disorient- ing experience to wake up to. The Axiom Station quarters are being designed with a little more area, offering private places where off-duty crew can read, call family, and get some good sleep. The goal is to create a place where station residents can relax at the end of their long workdays. “Our goal is to make space both more functional and more enjoy-
A New Generation of Space Station
Axiom Station will be the next step in the long progression from the spartan living arrangements on the ISS and its predecessors to the officers’ quarters in the Star - ship Enterprise. Don’t expect to book a luxury suite in space any- time soon, but comfort will be far more than an afterthought. One unique component will be the Axiom Earth Observatory, a conical section nestled on the module’s Earth-side (top and bot- tom have no meaning in space),
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