Experts call for environmental awareness to be integrated into space projects

While space missions must be economically beneficial in order to continue, it is also important that these types of projects be sustainable for the planet, said Guillermo Trotti, a space architect who has collaborated on programs with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

"The benefit is important. We all need income, food, a home, clothing, and so on. So the space business is really important. There needs to be a change in the way corporations think only about profit,“ said the specialist in a presentation to university students in Mexico City.

”You need to have a certain awareness of the planet. You have to invest in it. It's not 100% a matter of profits for a business board of directors. We really need to think about the ethics of a business."

Trotti, who designed a lunar base for NASA and worked on the plans for the International Space Station, added that the recycling models used in space projects can be used to develop similar initiatives applicable to Earth.

Manuel Sánchez, a research associate at the MIT Media Lab's Space Exploration Initiative, added that it is also important to apply research methods developed in space programs for the benefit of life on our planet.

“We have found bacteria that have evolved on the Station that do not exist on Earth today. It is a delicate problem, but there are technologies that, if we apply them in space, we can produce others for decontamination and disinfection on Earth using air. It sounds like science fiction, but it's true,” he shared.

For her part, Dava Newman, former director of the MIT Media Lab, former deputy administrator of NASA, and who also participated in the presentation, highlighted the importance of students getting involved in space issues. One way to get their attention is through these types of meetings, where they can also learn about the different types of opportunities to study at an institution in the United States.

Newman has been involved in a project that seeks to redesign current space suits, which tend to be “clunky,” into ones that are more form-fitting and allow for greater mobility in missions outside the planet. The new design features a multi-layered 3D fabric made of heat-resistant polyethylene fibers.