NASA's upcoming astronaut capsule has hints of Apollo

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A flashback to the space future (Image: NASA/Robert Markowitz)

For an out-of-this-world commute, you need a perfectly tricked-out vehicle. With sky-blue LED lighting and seating for seven, this space capsule certainly fits the bill.

This photo gives a glimpse inside of the CST-100, a commercial crew capsule being built by Boeing with support from NASA, which aims to restore the US's ability to independently launch astronauts into space.

The full-scale mock-up of the capsule recently underwent a day-long series of tests by two NASA astronauts. The purpose of the tests was to see how the astronauts were able to work with the space and equipment available before the design is finalised.

Don't be fooled by its retro, Apollo-like exterior appearance – the CST-100 uses the latest technology, including enhanced thermal protection for that long drop back through the atmosphere and touchscreen tablets to replace the sea of buttons seen in space capsules of yore.

"What you're not going to find is 1100 or 1600 switches," says Chris Ferguson, a former astronaut and director of Boeing's commercial crew development programme. "We don't want to burden [the astronauts] with an inordinate amount of training to fly this vehicle. We want it to be intuitive."

The project is funded by NASA in its bid to get the US back in the astronaut transport business after it retired the shuttle programme in July 2011. Currently, US astronauts are dependent on Russia's Soyuz capsules. The US forks out $71 million (£46 million) per seat to reach the International Space Station.

Boeing has plans to test the CST-100 in 2016 in a crewed, three-day orbital flight, riding an Atlas V rocket into space. The capsule will attempt to dock with the ISS in 2017 – as long as NASA gets the funding from the US Congress.

NASA is also funding the development of Boeing's rivals: the Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spaceplane and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is already powering ahead, charged with delivering crucial supplies to the ISS, having first successfully docked with it in May 2012.