By Pragya Jain, Rick Heemskerk, Joseph Catlett & Kimberly van den Boogaard
Moonshots24 and NL Space Office
MSc Media Technology, Leiden University

This project started from a simple observation; space research, as it stands, mostly functions within a closed loop. The system, with its habits and structures, makes it hard to see beyond STEM. But research isn't about sticking to pre-defined boundaries, it's about asking questions that no single discipline can answer on its own. We wanted to challenge that, so we built a platform to incentivise transdisciplinary space research; where disciplines dissolve, and specialists collaborate without being boxed in by their own disciplinary paradigms.

We joined Moonshots24 on our own initiative, because we saw an opportunity to push for something different. The goal was to create a platform that would incentivise and showcase transdisciplinary research; work that doesn't neatly fit in the box of a single discipline but still has something valuable to say about how we explore space.

The Work

This project had three main parts:

A Manifesto - A document arguing for a more inclusive approach to space research, one that recognises the value of non-STEM disciplines and integrates them into the field.

An Online (Hyper)Platform - Built using Vue, the platform features a database of transdisciplinary projects and researchers. The site utilises a node-graph to visualise the projects and in what arbitrary lines they should fall. It's designed to make it easier for people to find, engage with and participate in work that crosses disciplinary boundaries.

An Interactive Installation - Planned for Waag Futurelab, this was meant to bring the platform's ideas into a physical space, making the concept of transdisciplinary research something people could experience.

The Reality

As we got more into the project we found that we were walking against the very same barriers we were pushing against. Moonshots, for all its talk of innovation, wasn't exactly eager to challenge it's own paradigms. But we got feedback from industry figures like Miha Turšič (Waag Futurelab) and Harm van de Wetering (Netherlands Space Office), who helped us navigate the bureaucracy of ESA.
We even presented to astronauts. Some were enthousiastic (shoutout to Mike Fossum & William McArthur), others less so.

What's Next

The platform is live, the manifesto is out there, and the conversation is ongoing. We presented our work during NL Space Week, and while the system hasn't changed overnight, we've at least added a few more voices to the discussion.