Step inside the gorgeous, futuristic offices of Vast, the startup designing the next-gen space station

A tall baobab tree greets people inside the Long Beach, California, headquarters of Vast, an aerospace company that is building the space station of the future. It’s planted beneath a skylight in the center of a white-painted circular lobby furnished with a sleek aluminum reception desk and built-in wood banquette that follows the curve of the walls.  The tree and the room are symbolic. The former references trees in The Little Prince, a 1943 novella with a character who travels between...