About the Bioprint FirstAid Handheld Bioprinter capabilities.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are testing 3D bioprinted bandages made of their own cells that could be used to better heal flesh wounds in space.
The German Space Agency (DLR) is leading the experiment which was launched to the ISS at the end of December 2021 on SpaceX’s 24th commercial resupply mission. The payload contained the BioPrint FirstAid Handheld Bioprinter, which is designed to hold cells from astronauts within a bioink that can be used to apply bandages to wounds when needed.
Japan’s national space agency will collaborate with 30 Japanese companies to create reusable rockets. The goal is to reduce launch costs to less than a fourth of present levels.
Rocket Lab CEO, Peter Beck, is charting his own course. The company’s lighter-than-ever, curved Neutron rocket ship is heading straight for Venus… one day.
Methane tank sections were moved into the High Bay as SpaceX prepares to fully stack Booster 7. Meanwhile, crews were spotted using the Klemm drill rig at the Launch Site once again.
As teams continue to prepare NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for its debut flight with the launch of Artemis I, NASA and its partners across the country have made great progress building the rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission. The team is also manufacturing and testing major parts for Artemis missions III, IV and V.
Despite the fact that floating around in space looks like a certified blast, it’s not something the human body is optimized for. In order to make these trips possible, scientists are going to have to figure out how to mimic Earth’s gravity in space. » Subscribe to Seeker! http://bit.ly/subscribeseeker. » Watch more Elements! http://bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist. » Visit our shop at http://shop.seeker.com. » Sign Up for Seeker’s Newsletter! https://www.seeker.com/newsletters.
We evolved with gravity constantly pulling on us at a rate of about 9.8 m/s2, or 1 g. Our bodies are built in a way that takes that into account. Our rigid bones can hold us up, our cardiovascular system can pump blood to and from our extremities, our vestibular system in our ears keeps us balanced, and so on. Our bodies are also good at adapting to our needs, which means when you take gravity away the body starts to change. Bones lose mineral density, hearts weaken, and the vestibular system shuts off because suddenly there is no “up” anymore. So long as the body stays in space these changes aren’t really a problem, but coming back to Earth and readapting to 1 g can be painful and disorienting.