Review: Creature Comforts in Space

by Jeff Foust
Monday, July 29, 2024

Creature Comforts in Space: Designing Enjoyment and Sustainability for Off-World Living
by Samuel M. Coniglio, IV
BookBaby, 2024
Paperback, 162 pp., illus.
ISBN 979-8-21824-640-2
US$33

In May, the Space Tourism Conference took place just before the start of the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles. The one-day event focused less on the technology of space tourism—spacecraft and space stations—than on the experience, with sessions on entertainment, dining, and space “lifestyle brands.” The session offered a very forward-looking view of people traveling to space, and one not that different from might have been presented 10 or 20 years ago, given the slow pace of progress in commercial human spaceflight.

One session focused on creating “creature comforts” for future commercial space travelers: “those hard-to-describe things that make life more enjoyable, have mental health benefits, and are fun!” writes Sam Coniglio in his new book, Creature Comforts in Space. Example of such comforts range from cocktails and hot meals to fluffy towels, sweatpants, and silence. They are, by and large, lacking from spaceflight today but may be essential to a future where more people live and work in space for extended periods.

Coniglio examines many of these topics in the book, from cooking to showering to the inevitable discussion of toilets. He approaches the topic from his own interdisciplinary background that includes working as a technical writer for NASA and developing “drinkbots,” or drink-making robots. A decade ago, inspired by NASA astronaut Don Pettit’s creation of a zero-g coffee cup that makes use of surface tension and capillary action, he developed a zero-g cocktail glass using the same principles. (The glass never flew on the ISS, he said, because of skittishness from NASA public affairs about anything that might be associated with drinking alcohol in space.)

In the book, he examines the challenges about things we take for granted on Earth, like preparing a meal in a kitchen or taking a shower. Microgravity is perhaps the biggest obstacle, but there are also the constraints of the limited volume and resources available on spacecraft. There are potential ways to deal with those challenges, though, he argues, citing various concepts that include his own designs. One interesting concept is his “shower in the garden” for a shower that includes moss growing in the bottom half of the cylindrical shower: the moss would filter the water, he argues, while providing some psychological benefits.

It's unclear when or if any of the concepts he describes in the book would ever be implemented. Creature comforts on the ISS today are limited, with an environment he likens to extreme camping. There is very little investment going into these concepts given that utilitarian focus. Coniglio includes some images of toilets on the ISS and asks, “can they design it to look better?” Right now, there’s no incentive for NASA or its contractors to design the toilets to look better, just to work effectively and reliably.

At some point, though, there may be a demand for toilets that both work well and look good, as well as showers, cooking facilities, and more. Commercial space stations proposed for launch in the next decade may still look fairly utilitarian, focusing on the needs of NASA, other government agencies, and corporate users. (Axiom Space, several years ago, did show off designs of the interior of a future space station habitation module developed by Philippe Starck that, at a minimum, look nicer than the ISS.) But, eventually, even corporate researchers will want the option of relaxing at the end of a long day with a nice meal and a cocktail, just like on Earth. A few create comforts will go a long way towards improving the experience for researchers and tourists alike.

Jeff Foust (jeff@thespacereview.com) is the editor and publisher of The Space Review, and a senior staff writer with SpaceNews. He also operates the Spacetoday.net web site. Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone.

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