Thursday, November 28, 2013

Mission: Alpha Centauri

I popped into the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) the other day to catch their newest exhibition, but a spaceship caught my attention before I got to the exhibit. 

Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
The Design Bar at MODA is serving at the exhibit space for Mission: Alpha Centauri,” a mini exhibition spotlighting the work of first year graduate students at Georgia Tech School of Architecture.

Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
The assignment: solve a design problem...in the future:

"Following a catastrophic world war in the late 22nd century, Earth becomes largely uninhabitable. The remaining nations form an alliance to save mankind by seeking other habitable planets around Alpha Centauri, the closest solar system to our Sun. In order to carry out this research, however, they need self-sustaining spaceships with renewable energy sources that can carry the fleet throughout the universe."
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
This is totally an assignment that's totally up my alley! Remember, I've been an aerospace enthusiast since I was a toddler, and I worked in aerospace for nearly a decade--the coolest two things being a trip to Kazakstan to see a live satellite launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and visiting the Kennedy Space Center for a Shuttle launch as a VIP guest of NASA. I've done some cool stuff!

Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Well, I don't know how many of the Georgia Tech architecture students are space enthusiasts, but they did a brilliant job designing spaceships! Their results are the exhibit.
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
While the Georgia Tech students' work is displayed above the Design Bar, the Design Bar itself is a "work place" for Museum visitors wanting to take advantage of the super cool opportunity to design and make their own spaceship! I'll be going back before the exhibition concludes on January 26 to design a ship or two.

Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Mission Alpha Centauri, Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
I wonder what MODA's next mini-exhibit will be...

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