Space Exploration Initiative

Creative Commons

Attribution 4.0 International

NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and Z. Levay (STScI)

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Article Research

Space pianos and upside-down shoes: innovations for life in space

Hairstyles, musical instruments and gardening all change in zero gravity, scientist Sands Fish says.
Article Research

Collaboration is key for the future of space exploration, HubWeek scientists say

Ariel Ekblaw presented designs for self-assembling architecture to create habitats for people living and working in low-gravity environments
Article Research

HubWeek 2019 celebrates five years of connecting MIT, Boston, and the world

Greater Boston’s annual festival of ideas finds new avenues for celebrating and connecting innovators.
Post Research

SEI Exhibition at Ars Electronica 2019: 50 Years After the Moon

​Ars Electronica Festival September 5-9, 2019 at POSTCITY, Linz, Austria 50 years after the Apollo 11 lunar landing, we ar...
Video Videos

To the Moon to Stay - From the Moon with Love

Thursday July 25, 2019 ...
Post Research

Mollastica - From Deep Sea to Deep Space

Impenetrable darkness, extreme pressure, cold water, and disorienting equilibrium. Deep sea creatures live in a world that is closer to o...
Post Research

Zero Gravity Flight 2019

This mission included participation from several departments at MIT and outside collaborators from across the globe.
Article Research

Space exploration and the age of the Anthropocosmos

Joi Ito calls for responsible stewardship of the commons beyond our planet.
Post Research

Democratizing Access to Space

When we say we’re “democratizing access to space exploration,” what do we mean?
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Earthlings—Space Exploration Initiative open call for artworks in low Earth orbit

What are the opportunities and challenges in the creation of art for space, and art depicting space and space technologies?
Post Research

SEI-TRISH application for space health seed funding

Space Exploration Initiative open-call grant opportunitySupported by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Bay...
Article Research

Six suborbital research payloads from MIT fly to space and back

Space Exploration Initiative research aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard experiment capsule crossed the Karman line for three minutes
Post Research

TESSERAE: Suborbital launch test

On May 2nd, 2019 we launched three TESSERAE v2 hardware tiles into space and back! They rode to just over 100km (past the Karman line) on...
Post Research

Six suborbital research payloads fly on Blue Origin New Shepard

The projects on board the Media Lab's first suborbital rocket flight
Article Research

Space is poised for explosive growth. Let’s get it right.

Before low-earth orbit is clogged with hotels, satellite traffic, and debris, we should plan for the extra-planetary community we want.
Article Research

The Future's Coming: Why we need to prepare for sci-fi tomorrows today

Teleportation may have to wait.
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Beyond the Cradle 2019: Gallery
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The architect designing self-assembling habitats for space

Tomorrow’s space explorers won’t be able to pack traditional, heavy building materials for their missions.
Post Events

Beyond the Cradle 2019 Speakers

Houston we are GO for launch!
Post Events

Beyond the Cradle 2019: Workshops
Article Research

MIT’s zero-gravity musical instrument provides a soundtrack for space travel

The Telemetron was created in response to a call from the MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative.
Article Research

A musical instrument for astronauts and other news

BBC Click's Nick Kwek looks at some of the best technology stories of the week.
Post Research

Earthrise, 50 years later

Thoughts from the Media Lab's Space Enabled group and Space Exploration Initiative
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Media Lab at Ars Electronica 2018

The Ars Electronica Festival runs from September 6-10, 2018 in Linz, Austria
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SXSW 2019 PanelPicker Proposals

Media Lab students, faculty, researchers and affiliates pitching panels at SXSW 2019
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Curating the human experience of space—present, future, and fiction

Xin Liu discusses the Space Exploration Initiative's upcoming arts exhibition at Ars Electronica
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Making Music in Space

Nicole L'Huillier speaks at Sónar+D
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Science Fiction for tomorrow's day to day

Ariel Ekblaw speaks at Sónar+D
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Ani Liu tests her Smells for Space project while floating in zero gravity

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 Spatial Flux on board the Zero-G flight

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Gallery Research

Zero Gravity Arts Projects

Arts and research projects from the Space Exploration Initiative's first parabolic flight that are being exhibited at Ars Electronica. 
Article Research

The Telemetron is a post-Earth musical instrument designed for zero gravity

The Telemetron generates musical compositions using gyroscopic “chimes.”
Article Research

Project TESSERAE, a Self-Assembling Space Architecture

The TESSERAE project is a design experiment in imagining how to bring the concept of geodesic domes from Earth into orbit.
Article Research

MIT's 'Orbit Weaver' turns astronauts into spiders

A new MIT Media Lab device takes a page from Spiderman to help astronauts navigate while weightless.
Post Research

TNW 2018: Designing Our Sci-Fi Space Future

For more on the Space Exploration Initiative @TNW2018, you can read the full article, "Making Star Wars a Reality through Design Thinking...
Article Research

"Life, uh, finds a way"

Biomimicry looks to living organisms to create the future of sustainable engineering.
Article Research

Prototypes for the new space age

The Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative shares results and next steps from its first zero gravity research mission
Article Research

A guide to daily life on Mars

What would daily life be like on the Red Planet?
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Inventing Smells for Space: A chemistry, design, and R&D collaboration with IFF

A chemistry, design, and R&D collaboration with International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc.
Video Videos

MLTalks: Neal Stephenson

Award-winning science fiction author Neal Stephenson
Video Videos

Beyond the Cradle 2018: Track A (Industry talks)
Video Videos

Beyond the Cradle 2018: Track B (Panels and keynotes)
Article Research

“Life, uh, finds a way”—Applying lessons from evolution to go to Mars

Biomimicry looks to living organisms to create the future of sustainable engineering.
Post Events

Beyond the Cradle 2018: Workshops

Beyond the Cradle 2018 workshop descriptions
Post Events

Beyond the Cradle 2018 Speakers

Beyond the Cradle 2018: Speakers
Gallery Research

Space Exploration Initiative Zero Gravity Flight

Research projects deployed in zero gravity, November 2017.
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Rhapsody in Zero G

Reimagining research for life in space
Video Videos

Scientific Analogs and the Development of Human Mission Architectures for Ocean and Space

Darlene Lim, NASA Ames
Article Research

Surface to Unlimited

There will be space makers and tinkerers, space theorists and humanists, space artists and athletes.
Post Events

Media Lab sets sights on space

MIT Media Lab event, Beyond the Cradle, launches a new initiative to explore the final frontier. 
Gallery Research

Beyond the Cradle 2017 Speakers Gallery

Warren Ellis photo credit: Ellen J. RogersJoi Ito photo credit: Mizuka ItoJoe Paradiso photo credit: Sam Ogden