Space Within Reach is a presentation that explores the practice of space analog simulation as a cross-disciplinary field at the intersection of Serious Games, performance studies, and experiential systems design. From Cold War-era war games to contemporary analog astronaut missions, space analogs have long served as essential environments for modeling the technical, psychological, and social dimensions of long-duration spaceflight. This talk traces the historical development of space analogs and examines their role as embodied simulations, improvisational performances, and training environments.
Drawing on personal experience as a certified analog astronaut and educator, I present case studies from my own work, including the design of a custom Minecraft-based space analog mod that enables middle and high school students to engage with mission design, engineering problem-solving, and group survival under simulated extraterrestrial conditions. I also explore how virtual production methodologies—such as LED walls, real-time rendering, interactive physical computing, and spatial audio—are now being integrated into analog mission design to increase immersion and narrative fidelity.
The presentation concludes with a look ahead to the World’s Biggest Analog (October 2025), a global, coordinated effort involving research teams conducting simultaneous planetary simulations. Space analogs are not only rehearsal spaces for spaceflight—they are performative, epistemic environments where we prototype the future of humanity in space.
Credits
The Analog Astronaut Foundation and the World's Biggest Analog
The Analog Astronaut Foundation and the World's Biggest Analog
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