moonbike

Moon Life is an initiative that speculates on the possibility that humans will live in space in the near future. Its objective is to take a creative approach and an artistic, design-led and architectural perspective, rather than a governmental or military standpoint. With this in mind, the project is a stimulus for designers, artists and architects to create futuristic, realistic and radical yet human concepts for habitat design in an extreme lunar environment. Satyendra Pakhalé was invited by Alicia Framis, the multi-disciplinary artist and founder of the Moon Life Foundation, Amsterdam, to contribute a project. Pakhalé created Moonbike and Moonwākā for life on the Moon.

The Moonbike project examines the potential and challenges of life on the Moon from a design perspective. In a microgravity lunar environment, it is important for humans to perform physical exercises. Pakhalé created a Moonbike with a direct cranking mechanism that requires more effort than a normal bicycle on the Earth. The aim was to compensate the comparative lack of gravity. Though the image of the Moonbike looks distinctive, the riding posture is similar to the standard trekking bike. The torso tilts towards the ground and the distance between the handlebar and the saddle is relatively large, making it particularly well suited to longer rides.