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Muse

A place to be re-inspired by nature

and by the accomplishments of moon pioneers

Karina Chow, Designing Spaces & Environments

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Why “Muse”?

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muse

a person or personified source that is a strong source of inspiration for people (often for a specific creative person)

noun

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national park

a scenic or historically important area of nature protected by the federal government for the public to grow appreciation for the wilderness and to have an escape from urban places from industrialization

noun

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“surface of the moon covered in drought resistant plants”

“national park on the moon”

“national park on the moon covered with drought resistant plants”

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arabidopsis (Thale cress)

cotton plants

potato plants

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[img] national forest with eucalyptus trees

[img] small forested city park within a dome on the surface of the moon

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Wait.

Are eucalyptus trees even a good choice for the moon?

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Let’s ask

ChatGPT!

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desert willow

buckwheat

Apache plum

Yucca

Goldeneye

Brugmansia/Datura

All of those plants are known as ideal model organisms for plant biology. I looked up similar types of plants (with the help of ChatGPT, let’s hope it was right) and found that plants in the Solanaceae (like tomatoes and eggplants) are also model organisms.

Some of my favorite plants are in that family, so I got excited to look up Brugmansia and Datura (angel and devil trumpets), which are flowering trees known for their beautiful trumpet like flowers and sweet smell in the evening.

I used to grow Brugmansia at home in SF, and it survived in the worst, sandiest soil I’ve ever seen, so I thought maybe it would be a good choice.

Datura turns out to be better because it is more drought resistant and still can survive in somewhat nutrient poor soil. Plus, it’s already been used in biological research for its very high growth rate and quick propagation. In cooler temperatures (like the Moon), it only requires watering every 14 days.

So I researched other plants that grow in the same region (central America up through the Southwest to Colorado), are drought resistant, are frost and cold resistant, and can survive with very poor nutrient soil (mostly rocks). These plants must be watered deeply and infrequently, with watering every 10 to 14 days and can stretch longer as their roots dig deeper (supposedly, not sure about the moon).

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Hybrid poplar

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Let’s ask ChatGPT

about materials…

again!

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–Popular Mechanics

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[img] a small park with datura trees, Goldeneye flowers, yucca plants, desert willow trees, Eastern White Pine trees, and apache plum plants and a clearing in the center --ar 2:1

[img] a small park with datura trees, Goldeneye flowers, yucca plants, desert willow trees, and apache plum plants

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[img] photograph of a small park inside a crater with a small trail in a forest of young hybrid poplar trees with of Goldeneye flowers, yucca plants, desert willow trees, apache plum plants, datura and brugmansia --ar 2:1

photograph of a small park inside a crater with a small trail in a forest of young hybrid poplar trees with of Goldeneye flowers, yucca plants, desert willow trees, apache plum plants, datura and brugmansia --ar 2:1

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“Isometric” = video game graphics, I guess

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“Far shot aerial view of a small island”

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“Far shot aerial view of a small island”

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Using AI to blend craters, domes, and parks

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😬

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Ok, let’s bust out PhotoShop

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Nope.

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New Inspiration for Exterior

Chaparral (California ecology)

California Academy of Sciences (SF)

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[img of cal academy] [img of moon surface] �forest dome on moon --ar 2:1

photograph of a small park inside a crater with a small trail in a forest of young hybrid poplar trees with of Goldeneye flowers, yucca plants, desert willow trees, apache plum plants, datura and brugmansia --ar 2:1

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Exterior

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Interior Inspiration

Cal Poly Architecture Graveyard

Pillow dome (ETFE)

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Interior Ideas (so far)

[img of dome] [img of california hiking trail] [img of pillow domes etfe]

View from interior dome, pillow domes

[img of dome] [img of california hiking trail] Inside an enormous biodome made of concrete