Living and working in space is still the most extraordinary experience and at the same time the dream of many people. Luca Parmitano was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009 for his first long-duration mission on the International Space Station from May to November 2013. For his second mission in 2020, he took on the role of Space Station Commander and spent a further 201 days in space. In a short interview he gives insights into the learnings he took from living and working in space for so long.

You spent more than 300 days in space, what are specific aspect of your living environment in space that you miss on earth? What insights from life in space do you think are particularly valuable for designing future living environments on earth?  

Luca Parmitano: Well, I actually spent a little over a year in orbit, 366 days, so there are a lot of things that I learned. When I think about one thing that I really missed is life on the space station, as a matter of fact. I thought about it daily. One important lesson that I learned from living in space is try to really live the moment rather than think about something else and kind of miss it, let it slide by. It's very easy nowadays to just always project it towards the future, some other dream or some other goal and miss the moment. And if I were to project that into something that we could use in our daily life, I would think that an opportunity to have the capability to look outside and capture that moment, that's something that I try to do. A lot of todays' environments are completely closed without windows, we rely so much on screens, monitors, our phones, our computers, but instead the light outside whether it's strong enough or not, whether it's grey or bright, it doesn't matter, it's always perfect. I believe that contact with the outside would be a really good way to take our attention from the constant lure of the monitors and screens and connect us to the real world outside.

Do you see any trends like new materials, construction methods or technologies that will play a particular role?

Luca Parmitano: I certainly hope that the way we work in space will change, but mostly because I'm thinking that the tasks would be very different. For the past 25 years we have put all of our focus on low earth orbit and I believe that the next 25 years will be mostly about deeper space. Initially we will be going to the moon, we will build a space station around the moon, the Lunar Gateway, and then we'll be on the surface exploring the moon itself. So, there will be new jobs we’ll need to perform and other tasks that will be very different from today. And yes, the material will also be different, because until now we haven't really had to worry about dirt or sand or the very specific type of sand we find on the moon, it's extremely fine, it's incredibly hard to clean out of the soft cloth that covers space suits, so those are new materials that we have to consider, something that is easy to clean, something that can keep the dust outside of the habitats where the humans will be living in, because the dust is so fine it can actually be dangerous even if you breathe it in. So yes, I'm counting on doing completely different types of tasks and there will be new materials that will help us do those jobs in an environment that is very challenging like the lunar surface. As far as the Lunar Gateway is concerned, it will be a zero gravity environment and it is already being built here on the ground, so rather than thinking about new materials I believe that what will change and what we are trying to improve is actually the ergonomics of the interior, because it is a much smaller environment, so that the inner design of the gateway will be extremely important, that's why it is necessary to try and create environments where we can live and work even though they are much smaller.

You once said "The beauty of being in command of a space station is that I will not be a babysitter. When you are the commander of the most qualified people on earth and off earth, your job is to be a facilitator." What was the most important leadership lesson you learned when in this role and how might these lessons be applied to leadership on earth?

Luca Parmitano: I remember that quote and I stand by it. It is true, I said that before flying and to this day I think that was my role. I was in charge of making sure that the mission was successful, that the job got completed and in order to do that you have to let everybody shine. You cannot try to put yourself in the middle of the spotlight, you have to let everybody perform to the best of their capabilities. In order to do that you sometimes have to put yourself in the back. That said, I would say that one lesson that really stayed with me, and that I cherish and that I hope that in my leadership roles I keep applying, is to make sure that I understand how to listen proactively, meaning searching for feedback, searching for answers, and input from anybody I work with, from my collaborators or from my crew and then try to incorporate those great suggestions and feedback into whatever product comes out on my leadership. And I really think that learning to listen is an important skill on and off the ground.

TU Wien Academy for Continuing Education offers the Executive MBA Space Architecture & Management. Participants acquire the skills needed to lead innovative architecture projects both in space and in extreme environments on earth. They learn how to design and implement challenging construction projects in demanding settings, manage interdisciplinary teams, and drive technological innovations.

The next programme starts on October 16^th 2025. More info and application