Space Exploration Initiative

How might zero gravity space affect silk spinning, and what benefits might such material properties provide for digital fabrication and a...

In microgravity, the removal of constant loading on the skeleton leads to loss of bone density and muscle mass. In order to counteract th...

Mechanical actuators for deployable systems on satellites are often complex, expensive, only designed for a single use, and too large or ...

SpaceHuman is a soft robotics device designed to facilitate the exploration of environments with reduced gravity in a view of democratiza...

Space/Craft explores sculpting in zero gravity. Making artistic works by hand is a fundamentally human act, but how will it transfor...

Paraffin wax (common candlewax) shows promise as a high-performing hybrid rocket propellant for chemical propulsion systems. Its inherent...

Life on Mars, if it exists, could have been transferred between Earth and Mars due to meteorite impacts. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial...

The MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is pushing the boundaries of space exploration innovation across the Media Lab’s many heal...

“Molecular Gastronomy in Zero G” explores the artistic and technical aspect of preparing food in space. Studying how food is created...

Maiden Flight is an autonomous biological laboratory environment designed for studying the impact of space flight on the sole reproductiv...

Living Distance is a mission and a fantasy realized, in which a wisdom tooth is sent to outer space and back down to Earth again. Carried...

This project asks, how can we transmit experiences across space and time? The launching point of the project is to create a drawing that ...

Overview: How will we build the coming generations of Space Architecture--the modules, space ships, and space stations that will ens...

The MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is developing “The Interplanetary Cookbook”—a collection of thought-provoking recipes, too...

The human experience of food extends far beyond that of mere nourishment. Debriefs with astronauts tell us that food is a key creature co...

Games are a uniquely human endeavour, reducing stress and supporting mental well-being. Astronauts aboard the ISS have created their own ...

The Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is driven by an effort to democratize the future of space exploration. As such, we a...

The widespread synthesis of common organic building blocks in space could have biased life beyond Earth towards chemical similarities to ...

The future of human life outside of Earth will heavily depend on the ability to fabricate and manufacture things. Yet fabrication in spac...

Can a modified snap bracelet be used to land infrastructure on an asteroid? It is notoriously difficult to stick a landing on a low ...

Gravity anchors all existence on Earth.It pulls a chaotic world to one single point in every moment of life. Even though gravity is every...

Structurally, zero gravity means that we do not have to contend with architecture's greatest arch-nemesis, gravity. This opens up a new w...

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a new imaging modality developed by MIT Media Lab's Synthetic Neurobiology group. ExM allows biomolecules t...

​​​​​​​​​The Orbit Weaver Suit for zero gravity was designed by Media Lab Director's Fellow Andrea Lauer in collaboration with ...

The Scratch Team invited young people from around the world to create Scratch projects designed specifically to be played in zero gr...

The brain uses space to index, organize, and retrieve memories. However, our sense of space depends on our perception of gravity. We...

This project seeks to examine the effects of altered gravity on an individual’s physiology during parabolic flight. Specifically, we will...

Today, the environments that humans occupy in space are designed for survival. Humans are carefully shuttled to and from space, and durin...

Each new technology forces us to confront who we are as humans.  As technological innovations in deep space exploration keep advanci...