What the Space Exploration Initiative offers our community MIT Media Lab – MIT Media Lab

The Space Exploration Initiative is intentionally structured as a cross-cutting launchpad in direct service of our MIT community. We make opportunities available for researchers across the Institute to deploy cutting- edge research in world class aerospace environmentsfrom simulations of microgravity to prized access inside the International Space Station. Since Ariel Ekblaw founded the Space Exploration Initiative in 2016, the team has grown to support 50+ students, staff, and faculty.

The Space Exploration Initiative takes an iterative approach to testing and deploymentsfrom parabolic flights, to suborbital launches, to the International Space Station and soon, to the surface of the moon. We support a recurring cadence of these flight opportunities and welcome students, staff, and faculty from across MIT (and occasionally collaborators outside MIT) to apply and participate in the program. If your project is accepted for a flight opportunity, SEI covers flight-associated costs and will mentor you through the full process. To hear about all opportunities and open-calls, write in to explorespace@media.mit.edu and ask to be added to the mailing list.

SEI charters an annual ZERO-G parabolic flight for 14-15 projects and 25 researchers across MIT Media Lab, several departments at MIT, and outside collaborators. To help support this flight opportunity, SEI teaches a course each Fall term on project development, prototyping, and deployment readiness for parabolic flights.

Check out past flights here: https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/microgravity-research-flights-with-the-space-exploration-intiative/overview/

How to apply? If youre a student and first-time flyer, we ask you to apply for and take the Zero-Gravity Flight course (more information below); if youre an MIT faculty member or post-doc, or an outside-MIT prospective collaborator, please reach out directly to explorespace@media.mit.edu and indicate interest in the Zero-G Program.

SEI launched six payloads on Blue Origins New Shepard suborbital rocket in May 2019. These payloads crossed the 100km Karman line and tested research during three minutes of sustained microgravity inside the experiment capsule. This mission marked MITs first research launch with Blue Origin, and the Media Labs first suborbital launch. The SEI continues to charter suborbital research flights for the MIT community, including four nanolabs to fly in mid 2021.

How to Apply: Future opportunities are solicited through open-calls, sent to our mailing list.

Check out our past flight here: https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/blue-origin-projects-round-up/

In March 2020, SEI sent five payloads to the ISS on SpaceX CRS-20. The payloads were deployed over a 30 day internal mission, allowing the research teams to study the effects of microgravity, on-station radiation environment, and launch loads on their hardware. For this launch opportunity, the payloads were integrated into the Nanoracks BlackBox platform. A second planned ISS mission is underway for Q4 2021. SEI supports other formats for ISS deployments as well, including astronaut interaction payloads and other apparatus chambers.

How to Apply: Future opportunities are solicited through open-calls, sent to our mailing list.

Check out our past flight here: https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/iss-mission-2020/

The SEI is jointly coordinating lunar payload concepts and near-term lunar surface transport launch opportunities, as part of the MIT To the Moon to Stay mission. Projects are drawn from the SEI Operating in the Lunar Environment graduate course (more info below), and from other active research work across MITs campus.

How to Apply: Email explorespace@media.mit.edu and ask to be added to the lunar payload working group.

Since 2018, the Space Exploration Initiative has offered a course on project development, prototyping, and deployment readiness for parabolic flights. Admitted student teams are offered project-deployment slots on SEIs annually chartered parabolic research flight. This course covers three main topic areas: rapid prototyping and engineering skills to prepare projects for operation in microgravity; logistics, training, and safety pre-approval steps to meet flight readiness requirements and pass a Technical Readiness Review (TRR); and creative and technical lenses for the future of space exploration. SEIs Mission Integrator, Sean Auffinger, is an added support for the students in this class, as they prepare experiments and documentation for the upcoming flight.

Learn more about the course here: zero-gravity.pubpub.org

New for Spring 2021, and expected to be taught again in 2022, Operating in the Lunar Environment is a collaboration between MIT AeroAstro and SEI. This course is a detailed exploration of the design and engineering challenges posed by operating in the lunar environment. Students gain hands-on experience, working in teams, to design a payload to address strategic objectives associated with NASAs Artemis program, aiming to enable near-term sustainable settlements on the lunar surface. Lectures and associated recitations explore varying mission goals and operating environments, from lunar-class launch, to orbiters, landers, rovers, and habitats. Guest lectures include prominent engineers, scientists, industry players and policymakers who have direct experience in lunar mission design and development. Students and project teams that successfully complete a CDR at the end of the class will be supported by SEI towards prospective lunar surface payload opportunities as part of MITs To the Moon to Stay Program.

Learn more about the course here: tothemoon.pubpub.org

The Space Exploration Initiatives dedicated Arts Curator, Xin Liu, finds new creative avenues for SEI supported projects to share their work. Most notably, SEI has participated in Ars Electronica for the past three consecutive years. In addition, SEI supports Visiting Artists through MIT CAST to create artwork for microgravity, democratizes access to space through an International Artists Open Call, and curates a space-focused exhibit at Beyond the Cradle each year to inspire and enable art in space. SEIs Arts Curator specializes in concept development, visual communication, and curation.

Learn more about Sojourner2020 here: media.mit.edu/posts/sojourner-2020

Visit our Virtual Spaceship for Ars Electronica 2020: spaceship.media.mit.edu

The SEI includes a support staff team of 11 membersscientists, engineers, architects, designers, an arts curator, and a mission integrator. This team offers many resources to the MIT community, including but not limited to: mechanical and electrical contract engineering; astronaut ethnography and user research to inform human-factors prototyping; rapid prototyping and fabrication advising; visual communication and arts curation; and direct mission integration support for everything from microgravity research to lunar payloads. SEI also regularly welcomes undergraduate student researchers (UROPs), visiting students, Research Affiliates, and outside research collaborators to join us in our work.

The Space Exploration Initiative facilitates monthly roundtable meetings to engage the MIT community in space based research. This is the best way to meet the group and keep up to speed with all opportunities through SEI. Meeting times and location are announced to the mailing list.

Since its founding in 2016, the Space Exploration Initiative has hosted a series of special talks and workshops on and off campus on topics including: life in space; design for microgravity; space health and well- being; the ethics of space exploration; space law; and democratizing access to space. A recent highlight from the Apollo 11 Landing 50th Anniversary year was an SEI sponsored ML Talks on moonshots past and future: To the Moon to Stay | From the Moon with Love. We were joined by Jessy Kate Schingler, Alex MacDonald, and Cady Coleman in conversation with Dava Newman. Outside of MIT, SEI has hosted talks and workshops at conferences including SXSW and IAC, and with other academic institutions such as Harvard, Yale, NYU, and RISD.

Our annual flagship event, Beyond the Cradle, takes a creative spin on the future of space exploration. Now in its sixth year, Beyond the Cradle brings together over 60 speakersleading space industry chief executives, space science researchers, sci-fi authors and designers, Hollywood visionaries, and NASA and international astronautsto inspire the audience to envision, co-design, hack, and build our space future together. Past speakers have included Nobel Laureate, Rai Weiss; Former Deputy Administrator of NASA, Dava Newman; SpaceX Principal Mars Development Engineer, Paul Wooster; Artist Laurie Anderson; Director, J.J. Abrams; author Neal Stephenson; and Astronauts Cady Coleman, Nicole Stott, Leland Melvin, Jeff Hoffman, Paolo Nespoli and many others!

The Space Exploration Initiatives founding mission is to rigorously, vigorously build out the technologies of our space future while keeping our innovations and team as open and accessible as possible. Beyond the Cradles art gallery and breakout workshop sessions democratize access by inviting and uniting new disciplines and voices in our event.

The event hosts over 350 in-person attendees (via private invitation only) and reaches six continents with several thousand members who tune in via our livestream, Twitter and YouTube channel. Beyond the Cradle is part of MIT Space Week, a broader celebration of space exploration technology and futurist vision at MIT and beyond.

Further details and archived video footage: beyond.media.mit.edu

MIT Space Week: spaceweek.mit.edu

SEI provides seed funding to a few projects each year, typically after engaging with the Zero-Gravity Flight Course, if the project can demonstrate a strong need and rigorous research results towards further flight deployments. We also run grant programs that can fund graduate RAs, whether youre a student in MAS (Media Lab) or another department. If you have already worked with SEI before and are interested in funding to continue or further expand your work, or are an already-admitted/current student looking for RA funding, please reach out directly to SEI Director, Ariel Ekblaw. The SEI can also assist and mentor projects with larger fundraising goals, on a case-by-case basis.

As an example, learn more about our recurring space health program with TRISH: https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/sei-trish-seed-funding/

The SEI facilitates many outreach programs, including our flagship Climate CubeSat Co-Building program (paused due to covid), online learning content through MITs Full Steam Ahead, and international open-calls for youth and adults alike to participate in space technology and arts development. These efforts directly address the Initiatives goals for the democratization of space, bringing space hacking into reach for the next generation and for a broader swath of humanity.

Learn more about SEIs outreach efforts here: sei-engagement.pubpub.org

Learn about an SEI-sponsored global outreach effort in partnership with MIT AeroAstro: humans.mit.edu

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What the Space Exploration Initiative offers our community MIT Media Lab - MIT Media Lab