For over two decades, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have relied almost entirely on materials shipped from Earth for scientific research and daily life — an exception is water, which is recycled from wastewater on the station.
Thanks to the growing commercial space industry and a global interest in long-term missions beyond the ISS, which sits 250 miles (402 kilometers) above ground, scientists are developing methods to manufacture supplies off-Earth. The end results would help reduce flight costs during interplanetary travels to the moon, Mars and maybe beyond, advocates say.
