Light in outer space is surprisingly different compared to its perception on earth. Due to the lack of atmosphere, light doesn’t scatter, leading to a wide array of phenomena we’re not used to. For the course “Lighting Design”, we looked in to the perception of this light on the moon and designed solutions to overcome the difficulties astronauts may encounter.
The knowledge regarding outer space, and specifically regarding the lighting conditions, is hard to gather, which leads to a lack of material to work with, especially in fields that are not yet deemed of importance to launch a successful space mission. As lighting design is a rather niche subject to consider when developing a space mission or space station, solving and working around the lack of knowledge is a major part of this report, as we strive to broaden the knowledge that is available, giving future designers a more solid foundation to base their designs on.
The report is split into three parts. In the first part, we look at the research that was done for this project. This will give a deepened understanding of everything we will need to work with and around.
In the second part, we start designing solutions for the problems we encountered and intend to solve. Ideation, iteration, and conceptualization will be touched upon. In the third part we take the concepts we developed and prototype, test and improve them, drawing conclusions and finalizing the overall design.
The knowledge regarding outer space, and specifically regarding the lighting conditions, is hard to gather, which leads to a lack of material to work with, especially in fields that are not yet deemed of importance to launch a successful space mission. As lighting design is a rather niche subject to consider when developing a space mission or space station, solving and working around the lack of knowledge is a major part of this report, as we strive to broaden the knowledge that is available, giving future designers a more solid foundation to base their designs on.
The report is split into three parts. In the first part, we look at the research that was done for this project. This will give a deepened understanding of everything we will need to work with and around.
In the second part, we start designing solutions for the problems we encountered and intend to solve. Ideation, iteration, and conceptualization will be touched upon. In the third part we take the concepts we developed and prototype, test and improve them, drawing conclusions and finalizing the overall design.
The first challenge to overcome in designing the lighting for the lunar habitat would be taking the super focussed and collimated light of the sun, and diffusing it, while also aiming it towards the habitat. To achieve this, different executions in shaping, materialization and structure were explored. Eventually, we converged towards a design that took inspiration from Japanese Shoji.
These screens, acting similarly to reflector and diffuser screens, serve a double purpose. When positioned in front of the lunar habitat, they can diffuse the collimated light, and gently aim it towards the habitat to create more ambient lighting. On the other hand, when positioned behind the habitat, they reflect the light back, also slightly diffusing it, ensuring that most of the sunlight can be used.
The pillars would be constructed using 3d printing, and would feature slots for the screens, made from fabrics, to move along. The astronauts can then regulate this movement through a pulley system, avoiding the need for complex or fragile mechanical or automated systems.
These screens, acting similarly to reflector and diffuser screens, serve a double purpose. When positioned in front of the lunar habitat, they can diffuse the collimated light, and gently aim it towards the habitat to create more ambient lighting. On the other hand, when positioned behind the habitat, they reflect the light back, also slightly diffusing it, ensuring that most of the sunlight can be used.
The pillars would be constructed using 3d printing, and would feature slots for the screens, made from fabrics, to move along. The astronauts can then regulate this movement through a pulley system, avoiding the need for complex or fragile mechanical or automated systems.
