Minimalism Goes to Space
Decades after the first people reached Earth’s orbit, the aesthetics of spaceflight are changing.
The NASA astronauts aren’t nervous for their next trip to space. They’ve been in the job for almost two decades, and they served as military pilots before that. Together, they’ve spent nearly 1,400 hours in orbit above Earth.
But they’ve never had a ride quite like this.
Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are training for their first flight on a new astronaut-transportation system built by SpaceX, and as early as this summer could launch into the sky in a capsule named Dragon. The interior of the capsule is black and white, with clean lines and cushy seats. A triptych of touch screens, compatible with space-suit gloves, displays important information. The cabin is spacious enough to seat seven.
