“Design for extreme environments” sounds like a new cable show, but it’s actually a class at RISD that focuses on building habitats for truly challenging locations—like the moon. Last fall, NASA asked the students to design a mobile dwelling for its next manned mission to the moon, scheduled for 2020. “NASA wanted a rover that could house four people for two weeks in 24-hour sunlight,” says student Zack Kamen.
Why Rhode Island? Was it better lobbyists? Pork? Someone just liked the school? And why Industrial Design? Why not let real engineers and engineering students do this? Why not make a challenge that all can participate in? Many people have the dream, it should not go to people based on random drawings or political favors or PC or anything else.
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