Space Exploration Initiative

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

Teleportation may have to wait.

Beyond the Cradle 2019: Gallery

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.

Beyond the Cradle 2019 Speakers

Houston we are GO for launch!

Beyond the Cradle 2019: Workshops

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.

A musical instrument for astronauts and other news

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

Earthrise, 50 years later

Thoughts from the Media Lab's Space Enabled group and Space Exploration Initiative

Media Lab at Ars Electronica 2018

The Ars Electronica Festival runs from September 6-10, 2018 in Linz, Austria

SXSW 2019 PanelPicker Proposals

Media Lab students, faculty, researchers and affiliates pitching panels at SXSW 2019

Curating the human experience of space—present, future, and fiction

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

Making Music in Space

Nicole L'Huillier speaks at Sónar+D

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.

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

The Telemetron generates musical compositions using gyroscopic “chimes.”

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.

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.

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...

"Life, uh, finds a way"

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

Prototypes for the new space age

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

A guide to daily life on Mars

What would daily life be like on the Red Planet?

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)

“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.

Beyond the Cradle 2018: Workshops

Beyond the Cradle 2018 workshop descriptions