DESIGN A MUSLIM SPACE STATION

Theme: Design in Our World

Mission:

Space agencies around the world are planning for humans to live in space for months — or even years! As Muslim communities grow worldwide, it’s only a matter of time before Muslims are among those living and working in orbit. But living in space means every part of daily life needs to be redesigned — including how you pray, fast during Ramadan, find the qibla direction, and build community. Your mission is to design a space station module specifically for the Muslim astronauts of the future!

Details:

Age: 8+

Groups: Individually or in small groups.

Learning aims: spatial design, understanding of Islamic daily practices, creative engineering, problem solving.

You’ll need: Pen, paper, cardboard or Lego for model building.

Let’s Get Started!

  1. Research what life is like on the International Space Station. How do astronauts eat, sleep, and exercise in zero gravity?

  2. Make a list of daily Muslim practices that would be affected by living in space (prayer, wudu, fasting, finding qibla, community gathering).

  3. For each challenge, brainstorm a creative design solution. How would you do wudu in zero gravity? How would you find the direction of Makkah from orbit?

  4. Sketch a floor plan of your Muslim space station module. Label all the key areas and features.

  5. Build a model using cardboard, Lego, or any materials you have available!