Astronauts in space don’t have to worry much about furniture. There’s nowhere to sit down on the International Space Station (ISS), as (a) it’s really impossible to sit down in microgravity and (b) without gravity, you don’t really feel the need to sit down. So the crew just float, tucking their feet into restraints if they need to stay in one place. So although the ISS does have a small dining table, it doesn’t have any chairs, and there are no beds.
That will all change when we have astronauts living and working on the Moon or Mars. The Moon has about 1/6 Earth gravity, and Mars around 1/3. So the crew of those missions is likely to need some furniture, and choosing it is not quite as simple as heading to Ikea.
Funnily enough, Ikea has given some thought to the problem of space furniture.
The Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert is a place where researchers go to simulate a space mission. A team from Ikea has spent time there, learning more about living in extremely small spaces.
Their time in the MDRS inspired the Rumtid collection of product concepts exploring “the future needs of urban, small space living”. Rumtid makes use of a new super-lightweight veneer material. Made from “wood and waste”, it is rolled into strong, hollow tubes that can be joined together with connectors to form custom furniture solutions.
And in 2019, the team returned to the MDRS with Ikea products designed for small space living, choosing multifunctional items that could be arranged flexibly. Things like furniture on wheels, stools for seating and stackable chairs to save space.
It’s ironic that outer space should be so cramped that space is an issue. It’s not the only one. Like all travellers, spacefarers need to watch what they pack
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