As extraterrestrial exploration becomes a reality, design plays a critical role in shaping living environments and conditions in Extraterrestrial spaces. As space missions are no longer a distant, we have an opportunity to participate in these emerging decisions. As a creative that innovates the future, design has a crucial part to play to build a new culture, systems and communities learning from our errors of Planet Earth.
The Extraterrestrial Working Group was founded by a group of four women from diverse continents and disciplines, including design, art, business, and space medicine, with a focus on space anatomy. Each session draws on the knowledge of global experts to explore critical questions on space assumptions, environmental conditions, space odysseys, and inhabitation.
By challenging ideas on Extraterrestrial spaces, we have an opportunity to design sustainable, ethical, and culturally informed environments.
Focus Areas
The ExtraT Working Group engages with topics including, but not limited to:
• Re‑examine how cultural narratives and assumptions shape our understanding of space,
• Consider the designer’s role in imagining and designing life beyond Earth in collaboration with other disciplines
• Integrate diverse disciplinary frames (design, medicine, architecture, food systems, urbanism)
• Critically analyse imagination and reality in envisioning and designing for extraterrestrial futures
• Explore the extraterrestrial ecosystems based on their environmental conditions
• Exploration of extraterrestrial influence and activities on Planet Earth
• Emerging topics proposed by working group members
Activities
ExtraT working group focuses on the following topics:
• Curated sessions at Cumulus biannual conferences
• Thematic seminars and working meetings
• Collaborative educational, pedagogical, and research initiatives
• Peer-reviewed publications and edited volumes
• Knowledge exchange initiatives across academia and industry
Join the Working Group
ExtraT welcomes researchers, educators, designers, professionals, and associations to contribute their visions and missions for space. Having previously hosted astronauts and other space experts as speakers, we know that the sky is not the limit as we aim for the stars.
Join us to explore the role of design in shaping new space missions through collaborative research and pedagogical projects within the global Cumulus network.
Expressions of interest in joining or collaborating are warmly welcomed.
Founders
Dolly Daou
Eija Salmi (Secretariat General of Cumulus)
Thais Russomano, external expert
Anna Karahan, external expert
