The Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions was the first to have 3D-printed living tissue in space. In the longer term, astronauts might be able to print their own tissues and organs at will. “If the technology is shown to prevent and reduce these damages, this could have a tremendous impact on future space travel, allowing to preserve and enhance the health of astronauts, ” Eisenkraft explained. The collaborators will be studying how to safely freeze and thaw the cells to resist these conditions, and developing a practical way of administering the treatment in space. The company is collaborating with NASA to test these cell therapies as a treatment for the medical conditions caused by space travel, starting with studying whether the treatment can prevent damage in animals living in low gravity conditions.Ī challenge to this approach is the fact that zero gravity might alter the normal growth of the cells. Pluri develops treatments based on placental cells to treat a wide range of diseases. “Following prolonged space missions, muscle and bone wasting, inflammatory reactions and damage resulting from radiation are considered among the major challenges and threats imposed on astronauts, ” said Arik Eisenkraft, former director of homeland defense projects at Pluristem Therapeutics, an Israeli biotech now known as Pluri. In order to travel further into space, spaceships will need to be equipped to heal their crew. But they are still at risk of bone and muscle injuries upon their return. To prevent that, astronauts keep active while in orbit. It is well known that zero gravity makes the muscles and bones of the strongest astronauts grow weak in just six months. Keeping astronauts healthyĪs we start taking on longer space missions, we need to confront the effects that life away from Earth has on the human body. ”Īll around the world, scientists are working hard to address these challenges. Today, this is too heavy for the launchers. “For a Mars mission, it would be somewhere in the order of 30 tons. “To be able to survive a long-term mission, you need to transport a lot of water, a lot of food and a lot of oxygen, ” says Christophe Lasseur, R&D Coordinator at the European Space Agency (ESA). Meanwhile, Elon Musk aims to take us to Mars. Jeff Bezos’ firm Blue Origin is already fighting Elon Musk’s SpaceX to send NASA missions to the Moon. “But what happens if human beings want to travel further into deep space, far away from Earth, where we cannot rely on a constant resupply? ” she asks.Įstablishing a base on the Moon or taking humans to Mars for the first time is a goal of several countries around the world - and of billionaires. However, it still needs a constant supply of oxygen, water, food and medical supplies from Earth to keep astronauts alive. The station can also produce some of its oxygen from water. She is doing a livestream from the International Space Station (ISS).Ĭristoforetti explains that the ISS recycles most of its water, collecting it from the air and from astronaut urine. While she talks, her watch is floating on her wrist. We need constant access to nutritious food, clean water and a safe and clean waste disposal system, ” says Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. “As human beings, we need a constant supply of oxygen. This article was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated to reflect recent developments.Īs we prepare for long-distance space travel and life on Mars, biotechnology will be essential to make spaceships no longer dependent on Earth’s constant supply.
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