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Archived
Project Research

Space Fermentation

This research highlights opportunities to bring the rich culture of Earth-based fermentation practices to space to design beneficial applic…
Archived
Project Research

Peristaltic Suit

​Prolonged exposure to microgravity is known to cause various acute health risks, including muscle atrophy, bone loss, cardiovascular decon…
Article Research

Transatlantic connections make the difference for MIT Portugal

Media Lab Director Dava Newman, who previously led the MIT Portugal program, still serves as a principal investigator for flagship projects.
Article Research

Summer 2023 recommended reading from MIT

The 2023 MIT recommended summer reading list includes a chapter in "Reclaiming Space" authored by Professor Danielle Wood.
Article Research

Build your skills with MIT’s women engineers

Explore MIT Open Learning resources, including interviews with Media Lab Director Dava Newman, Professor Cynthia Breazeal, and more.
Archived
Project Research

The EBIFA robot (Everything Beautiful Is Far Away)

EBIFA (Everything Beautiful Is Far Away) is a crystalline robotic device that carried a tooth to outer space. EBIFA's form and fu…
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Archived
Project Research

Spatial Flux: Body and architecture in space

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

Telepresent Drawings in Space

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

Floral Cosmonauts: Self-assembling silver dendrite networks in microgravity

Biological neuronal networks are highly complex and interconnected with superior information processing capabilities. Such networks have pr…
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Archived
Project Research

Persian Domes for Human Space Exploration on Mars

The Lut Desert of Iran is one of the most similar regions to Mars. Close to that area, there are vernacular adobe architectures that are hu…
Archived
Project Research

A tailored, electronic textile conformable suit for large-scale spatiotemporal physiological sensing in vivo

The rapid advancement of electronic devices and fabrication technologies has further promoted the field of wearables and smart textiles. Ho…
Project Research

Public Library Innovation Exchange

Public libraries are one of most trusted public institutions in the U.S. and increasingly provide a broad range of education services, rang…
Project Research

TESSERAE: Self-Assembling Space Architecture

Overview: How will we build the coming generations of Space Architecture—the modules, space ships, and space stations that will enscon…
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Project Research

Envirome Monitoring with CRISPR Biosensors

In recent years, there has been an increase in low-cost and open-source electronic and chemical sensors that hobbyists, concerned citizens,…
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Archived
Project Research

Moon Village

In 2015, the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Jan Wörner, introduced the concept of the “Moon Village.” Inspired by the…
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Archived
Project Research

Climate CubeSat Co-Building Outreach Program (C3)

Climate CubeSat Co-Building (C3) The Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative is driven by an effort to democratize the future…
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Archived
Project Research

Space Fabrics: resilient electronic textiles for distributed sensing in low Earth orbit

Overview: The outermost skin of a space-based structure is designed using materials known to protect against the harsh elements of space. S…
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Archived
Project Research

Radiofungi: Biological Pigments for Radioprotection

A major concern for manned missions is space radiation. Ionizing radiation is known to pose both acute and chronic risks to many organisms,…
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Archived
Project Research

SEI Analog Environments Study: Adaptation, Collaboration, and Resilience in Extreme Environments

SEI Analog Environments StudyProject OverviewThe way humans engage with space has changed rapidly over the past 60 years, moving from a mod…
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Archived
Project Research

Lunar Open Architecture

Building an open, shared, and collaborative future of lunar exploration.Explore the Lunar Open Architecture (LOA) at loa.mit.edu. …
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Archived
Project Research

Interplanetary Gastronomy

The  Interplanetary Gastronomy research  aims to address the unique challenges and opportunities associated with eating in s…
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Archived
Project Research

H0TP0T

By Larissa Zhou and Adam ZacharFood is crucial to maintaining the physical and psychological health of humans in space. Eating food pr…
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Archived
Project Research

Reconfigurable space structures

Rapid prototyping platforms such as 3D printers used for digital fabrication are today able to manufacture custom objects for specific task…
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Archived
Project Research

Zenolith - An Interplanetary Time Device

On Earth, morning, noon, and night have their own specific meanings. The feeling of a second or a minute passing by, the shortening of the …
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Archived
Project Research

Self Assembling Space Frames

Ever wish you could toss your folded up tent and have it self-assemble mid-air?  Well...you can. In a zero gravity environment.Self As…
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Archived
Project Research

Harmony in Precarity

By Po-Hao ChiHow could microgravity/hypergravity shape our perceptual experience of listening with weightlessness? How can we seek to explo…
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Archived
Project Research

Miniature Optical Steered Antenna for Intersatellite Communication (MOSAIC)

The Miniature Optical Steered Antenna for Intersatellite Communications (MOSAIC)By Shreeyam KackerThe Miniature Optical Steered Antenn…
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Archived
Project Research

Moving Liquids With No Moving Parts

Solid-state microfrabricated devices are in development to replace contemporary heavy mechanical components for use in spacecraft propellan…
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Archived
Project Research

Ø-scillation: oscillating chemistry in zero gravity and beyond

How did life originate? Nobody knows. Life might not even be native to our Earth - it might have come from asteroids or the interstellar me…
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Archived
Project Research

AgriFuge

By Somayajulu Dhulipala and Manwei ChanAs humanity explores deeper into space, long-duration missions will require horticulture activities …
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Archived
Project Research

Panspermia

By Nancy Valladares and Rae Yuping HsuThis project is an art performance that seeks to rethink imaginaries of multispecies surviv…
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Article Research

Dava Newman on the Selected podcast

In an interview recorded at VivaTech, Media Lab Director Dava Newman talks about the Media Lab's mission to enhance the human experience.
Archived
Project Research

SpaceHuman 2.0

SpaceHuman is a soft robotics device designed to facilitate the exploration of environments with reduced gravity in a view of democratizati…
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Archived
Project Research

Space/Craft

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

ELI: Electronic Life-detection Instrument

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

Tasting Menu in Zero G

 A multi-course tasting menu was flown on a zero gravity flight in August 2019.  Five specially crafted dishes were consumed…
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Archived
Project Research

Molecular Gastronomy in Zero G

A molecular gastronomy experiment was flown on a zero gravity flight in August 2019, using spherification techniques to create recipes in z…
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Archived
Project Research

Nanoscale Imaging of Biomolecules in Zero G

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a new imaging modality developed by MIT Media Lab's Synthetic Neurobiology group. ExM allows biomolecules to …
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Archived
Project Research

Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes (SETG)

The widespread synthesis of common organic building blocks in space could have biased life beyond Earth towards chemical similarities to li…
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Archived
Project Research

Orbit Weaver

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

Orbit Weaver Suit

​​​​​​​​​The Orbit Weaver Suit for zero gravity was designed by Media Lab Director's Fellow Andrea Lauer in collaboration with Xi…
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Archived
Project Research

Space Webs as Infrastructure for distributed sensor networks and other infrastructure on low gravity bodies

We study textiles and nets as a base form for growing infrastructure and allowing reconfigurable sensing on low gravity bodies (for instanc…
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Archived
Project Research

Smells for Space: Olfactory Timecapsule for Earthly Memories

Each new technology forces us to confront who we are as humans.  As technological innovations in deep space exploration keep advancing…
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Archived
Project Research

The Telemetron

Today, the environments that humans occupy in space are designed for survival. Humans are carefully shuttled to and from space, and during …
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Archived
Project Research

VR Maze in Zero Gravity

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

Feet on Earth, head in the stars

These five women at the MIT Media Lab are advancing aerospace science and research, driven by a love of our home planet.
Article Research

Gravity of the Situation: Time for the "G-whiz" factor?

Media Lab Director Dava Newman talks to Leonard David about research that may counteract the effects of microgravity on astronauts' bodies.
Article Research

Gridlocked: Spaceship Earth

On the Gridlocked Podcast, Media Lab Director Dava Newman and other guests discuss the climate emergency, collaboration, and adaptation.
Article Research

Axiom’s second flight paves the way for a commercial space station

Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, founder of the Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative, talks to Wired about the Axiom-2 mission.
Archived
Project Research

Microgravity Extrusion

Traditional additive manufacturing processes, especially those that make use of liquid resin as the feedstock, are constrained by the gravi…
Archived
Post Research

Danielle Wood Presents to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna

Prof. Wood is invited for a third time to serve as a Private Sector Advisor to the US government delegation to this UN space policy forum
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Project Research

SpaceTouch

An astronaut's ability to leverage the sense of touch is substantially reduced when wearing a protective, pressurized spacesuit. We imagine…
Archived
Post Research

On-orbit livestream events for two Media Lab research projects | Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2)

Q+A sessions on two research projects with contributors from MIT and the Media Lab will be livestreamed from the ISS on May 26 and May 28.
Archived
Research
Digital Learning + Collaboration Studio

Digital Learning + Collaboration Studio
Post Research

MIT Media Lab research on the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch

The Axiom Mission 2 launch will carry a variety of research from the MIT Media Lab to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21, 2023
Article Research

MIT HUMANS project breaks down borders, empowering global voices to reach for the stars

The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon.
Article Research

The Research Powering Humanity’s First Space Civilization with Ariel Ekblaw

On StarTalk, Dr. Ariel Ekblaw talks about her work with the Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and the Aurelia Institute.
Article Research

Ariel Ekblaw Wants To Go to Space So We Can Save Earth

Media Lab's Ariel Ekblaw talks to Inverse about the questions and the philosophies that drive her work with SEI and the Aurelia Institute.
Article Research

With the HUMANS project, a message that space is for everyone

Supported by the Space Exploration Initiative, the student-run HUMANS project aims to increase global representation in space.
Project Research

AI-Generated Virtual Instructors Based on Liked or Admired People Can Improve Motivation and Foster Positive Emotions for Learning

This research presents the results of a study with 134 participants to explore the effects of learning from an AI-generated virtual in…
Article Research

Why are we sending a plastic-eating enzyme to space?

A collaboration with researchers from the Space Exploration Initiative is investigating biological processes to upcycle plastics.
Article Research

Documentary featuring Professor Sara Seager wins Emmy Award

Four Emmy nominees in this year’s Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary category feature MIT students, faculty, and alumni.
Article Research

Denting the future at San Diego Comic-Con 2022

Dent the Future organizes annual 2022 science and tech panels featuring Sana Sharma.
Publication Research

AgriFuge: An exploration of controlled irrigation methods for a rotating plant habitat

Somayajulu Dhulipala, Manwei Chan. Agrifuge: An exploration of controlled irrigation methods for a rotating plant habitat. IAC-22, Paris, France. IAC-22,A2,3,4,x69080.
Publication Research

The Astronaut Ethnography Web Project: Insights from first-person accounts of space

S. Sharma, N. Klop-Packel, A. Ekblaw, “The Astronaut Ethnography Web Project: Insights from First-Person Accounts of Space.” AC-22,E1,9,19,x68611, 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France, 18-22 September 2022.
Article Research

Ariel Ekblaw explains the future of space stations

In an interview, Ariel Ekblaw discusses the democratization of access to space and what it means for the future of space stations.
Article Research

MIT welcomes eight MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars for 2022-23

MLK Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars will enhance and enrich the MIT community through engagement with students and faculty.
Article Research

Amazon MARS 2022: Day 2 Keynote

Be inspired by Rohit Prasad, SVP and Head Scientist, Alexa AI, Amazon, Tye Brady, Chief Technologist, Amazon Robotics, Dilip Kumar, VP, Phy…
Project Research

Lunar Sensor Net

We are leveraging current Wireless Sensor Network technology to develop an easily deployable, and inexpensive wireless sensor (LunarWSN) ne…
Post Research

Dava Newman and Moriba Jah named to Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC)

Committee members provide information, advice and recommendations to the FAA and DOT.