The Human Spaceship Project
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Helen Schell (Artist & Space Science Educator)
Artist’s Overview from a SPACE-TIME Machine 2226
Art and science are merging to resolve the immense human challenges on Earth and for human space exploration. Dynamic changes are occurring through research partnerships and collaborations across disciplines and, in particular, the arts and creative thinking. With this in mind Helen Schell invited ‘Artists to Invent the Future’, particularly in the context of space endeavours and new settlement plans for the Moon. The "One World" artists’ residency served as a testing ground for collaborative working models that transcended national, linguistic, and institutional boundaries to have an impact both internationally and within Germany. Here she invited them to imagine they lived on the Moon in 2226 and to use creative innovation during this project.
ESA Astronaut Centre & DLR Envihab Visit
Building on Helen Schell’s The Human Spaceship project and research into visual perception in altered gravity, in July, she visited the ESA European Astronaut Centre, organized by Axel Coulon (Space Systems Engineer) & Tobias Weber (Space Medicine Operations Scientist) and the DLR organized by Friederike Wütscher (Public Relations & Space Medicine Scientist), based near Cologne in Germany (see images). Her primary reason was to see the new LUNA analogue site, and the space medicine and human testing at Envihab, to inform her UK space themed art and education projects. She was delighted to see the architectural features in Envihab, which were purely for design purposes. The most spectacular was the bright yellow ‘echo’ corridor, for transporting bed rest participants from one building to another, underground (see image, designed by Glass Kramer Lobbert). Art and design should be included in other ways, and the LUNA Moon-pit had many possibilities, i.e. her concepts for geometric Moon signage using bold colours.
Wuppertal Twin Town Artists’ Residency
She also took this experience to nearby Wuppertal, where 30 artists from 10 different countries interacted to produce a massive art exhibition. Her proposed project was: Imagine you had never lived on Earth and only perceived it in terms of ‘The Blue Marble and The Pale Blue Dot’ from the Moon or Mars in 200 years’ time. Artists can create entirely new concepts and resolve challenges from a different perspective, which must be an essential path forward for space exploration. With this in mind, Helen Schell created a ‘SPACE-TIME Machine 2226’ devising a new look for technology (see image, 4m high x 2m wide painted canvas).
Moon-Bound Book & Lifeship Project
Any significant ‘Forward Looking’ advances in the space sector must include cross-disciplinary practices and many organisations and universities are embracing this dynamic change in exploration activities, with the most exciting being the Astrobotic/Astrolab mission to the Moon (launch window October-December 26), taking the Moon-Bound Book with 50 international artists’ work to land in the Nobile Crater (NASA’s Moon Base 2) on board the FLIP Rover. The Moon Gallery and Lifeship will be attending the ESA Space for Inspiration 2026
conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1–2 September, 2026. The Moon Bound Book will be presented there, alongside selected 2D works, sculptures, the Moon Bound film and artists presentations.
Two other significant projects of promoting this change, enabling a greater representation of humanity to access space are the Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space, and Kings College London’s Space 4 All project.
Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space (LCHS)
‘University of Leicester explores the future of humanity in space through a groundbreaking new interdisciplinary research centre. This is a pioneering research hub where space exploration meets the arts and humanities. ‘What exists beyond the confines of our planet has always had religious, cultural and even civilisational importance. Today we stand at a critical juncture in the human relationship with Space. Never before have the wellbeing and prosperity of so many people across so many different societies depended on so many platforms and spacecraft orbiting and travelling beyond our planet. For all space exploration, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences perspectives are essential’. Humanity space | University of Leicester
Kings College London, Space 4 All Community Project
‘Space 4 All envisions a world where the vastness of space is accessible to everyone. By spreading awareness and building a strong community, we seek to ensure that people with disabilities are not just participants but leaders in the next era of space exploration. We are committed to challenging perceptions and proving that with the right support and innovation, space can be a frontier for all’. This is open to anyone with an interest in accessible and inclusive human spaceflight aligned to ESA/UK Astronaut John McFall (parastronaut). Their goal is to build a community that not only supports and learns from this pioneering mission but also broadens the conversation about accessibility in space. Space 4 All Community | King's College London
