• Question: my dream is really to do something with space architecture I just hope to make being an astronaut fit into that in some way, do you think science is far enough along to make that happen within my lifetime?

    Asked by fund532tout4 to Viviene DC, scottacton, Natasha P, maiajones, konstantina_k, alistairglasse, Alessio S on 5 Dec 2025.
    • Photo: Alessio Spampinato

      Alessio Spampinato answered on 5 Dec 2025:

      That’s a very cool dream! Currently, there are lots of discussions around creating an outpost on the Moon. Space architecture will play a key role in this!

      International space agencies (NASA and ESA mainly) are actively developing plans to establish a stable, long-term presence on our natural satellite. Those will require building structures (“homes” and laboratories) to allow humans to live and work on the Moon for long period of times. In the long terms, the Moon might become a place where people will more or less regularly go for scientific reasons, a bit like for the International Space Station right now. Eventually, we might even get rocket launches directly from the Moon, as there are advantages in launching a spacecraft directly from there to explore other parts of the Solar Systems – first of all, much lower fuel consumption. These will require building launch capabilities on the Moon, like launch pads, fuel stations, cryogenic systems, etc. Some of this (at least creating an outpost) should be achievable within the next couple of decades.

      For reference, you can look into the following:
      – Artemis Program (NASA, ESA, JAXA, etc.): This program aims to return humans to the lunar surface this decade and establish a sustainable base called the Artemis Base Camp. This would involve a surface habitat (a modern lunar cabin and rovers) that could support crews for up to two months at a time, with the long-term goal of permanent occupation through rotating crews, similar to the ISS.

      – Lunar Gateway: A crucial part of the Artemis architecture is the Lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the Moon in a stable “near-rectilinear halo orbit” (NRHO). The Gateway will serve as a staging point for lunar landings, a communications relay, and a science laboratory.

      I hope your dream comes true!
      I wish you all the best!

Comments

  • Photo: fund532tout4

    fund532tout4 commented on :

    Hi Alessio Spampinato,

    Thankyou for getting back to me. I have been following this for the past few years now but I’m still trying to figure how how I make myself fit into it. I’m currently an a-level student but next year I plan to go to university. Right now I aim to attend Bath University for their Structural and Architectural Engineering MEng course but I worry that structural engineering, while still STEM, isn’t of interest to space because as you stated (Artemis aside) a lot of space structures are built for some type of orbit. They likely wont make structural engineers astronauts either (even though the requirement is just a STEM masters with 3 yrs of experience).

    Do you think this is still a good course for me to take or would you recommend I study something else. If so, what would you recommend?

  • Photo: Alessio S

    Alessio S commented on :

    Hi! Not a problem.

    I have had a look at the MEng course you mention. It looks like it is more focussed on civil structures but some of the skills you could learn might be applicable to space habitats in the future. However, I would say, that is a field which is not clearly defined, so it might take a while for some institutions/universities to develop a course which is 100% on space-related habitable structures (at least, this is how it look like in the UK right now).

    I would say, a Mechanical Engineering MEng would teach you a lot of the things you might one day apply in the space sector. Post-university, you might see “Structural Engineer” job ads for space-related jobs that require all the skills gained from a mechanical engineering course, like mechanical design and finite element analysis.

    Of course, there are aerospace-specific courses you could take. One example is the Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering MEng at the Imperial College London. Other options would be: do a more generic engineering BSc (or mechanical engineering) and then specialise with a MSc in something like “astronautics and space engineering” or “space systems engineering”. Also, I can see there are online courses on space habitats one could take (for a few months), possibly to complement an university programme.

    If you like the Structural and Architectural Engineering MEng course, and it is convenient to you, you could still specialise in something more space-focussed after that. You would have gained expertise in designing civil structures as a baseline, which you could then combine with knowledge/skills gained from a space related course.

    I wish I could give you a more definite answer on what is the best path. I believe there are different routes to get to what you want to do.

    Hope this helps a little bit!

    All the best,

    Alessio