UCTB

[Ultimate Cargo Transfer Bag]

A modular cargo transfer bag for space travel that adapts to its time and environmental needs.

01.

Research

02.

Concept Prototyping

03.

Design Fiction

04.

Sewing

05.

Product Design

Skills Demonstrated

An average mission length aboard the ISS:
6 months

Multipurpose cargo bags needed for a 6-crew, 1 year long mission:
260+

Multipurpose cargo bags disposed of:
50%

A cargo transfer bag (CTB or MCTB) is a container used by NASA for transporting consumable goods to astronauts.

What can we do to reduce this waste?

For future space exploration, focusing on Mars and the Moon, we anticipate extended missions and shared permanent bases. As an expansion on NASA’s Logistics Reduction Technologies for Exploration Missions (LIRR), the UCTB would further the project of waste reduction with the added benefits of practical and psychlogical improvements in astronauts’ day to day.

Practical Modularity

Experimental Materials

Psychological Benefits

What if we could reduce space waste, encourage technological innovation, and make more space for personal expression onboard the ISS?

The UCTB can be taken apart, modified, and readapted to the space it's in. It can be the vehicle for new material testing, or the surface on which astronauts can project memories of home.

Upon arrival, the containers can be easily taken apart. Each resulting panel can then be repurposed.