space chair

Students from Rice University have designed and assembled a prototype chair and table for astronauts during future manned space missions.

The chair and table are designed in such a way that they can be packed flat for shipping, and are said to offer maximum adjustability and flexibility.

As part of capstone project, the Lunar Lounger team assembled the pieces at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen.

Rice University mechanical engineering student and team member Laura Blumenschein said: "You’re going to have very limited space, so you can’t just send any furniture up.

"In addition to changing how humans interact with the furniture, it’s a lot easier for astronauts to stand and work."

"It’s a lot easier for astronauts to stand and work."

The team has considered gravity as priority, while balancing weight and strength requirements.

Gas springs are used on the table to enable easy height adjustment, while the connection ports allow pairing with other tables. The chair is designed to seat users between 5ft and 6ft 2in tall.

To keep them stable in low gravity, the chair and table should be floor-mounted and the chair incorporates pin-and-hole mechanisms for use as a traditional seat or a back chair with a knee rest.

Team member Rey Amendola said: "Part of our mission requirement was to focus on the daily activities of the astronauts and not their sleep habits or anything like that.

"When we thought about what astronauts do every day and what kind of furniture they need, we narrowed down the scope of the project to chairs for sitting and tables for working, relaxing or for mealtimes."

The project was backed by Nasa and ConocoPhillips.


Image: The chair and table are designed for use by astronauts during future manned space missions. Photo: courtesy of Rice University News & Media.