Astronauts

In the not-too-distant future, astronauts could be drinking water harvested from their own urine, courtesy of a Dune-inspired system integrated into their spacesuit. If nothing else, it should certainly beat just peeing into a diaper.

Bridging fashion and functionality, SpaceX has revealed what its astronauts will be wearing on the first-ever private spacewalk in 2024. In a new video, the company details the features of the suit that will be space-tested on the Polaris Dawn mission.

The unique perspective just a few astronauts have ever seen of Earth from outer space, and the way in which it impacts them, is known as the Overview Effect. Now, specially built theaters and a new film will bring the same experience to the masses.

In cramped spacecraft or space stations, there isn't room to store multiple robots that are each designed for a specific task. The Mori3 system was designed with that fact in mind, as it can be used to create different types of robots as needed.

Sending materials into space is expensive, so the more astronauts can make on-site, the better. Engineers have now demonstrated how crushed Martian rock could be mixed with a titanium alloy to make 3D-printable building materials.

Sleeping while wired up with an EEG cap would be hard enough here on Earth, but can you imagine trying to do so in the zero-gravity environment of outer space? It could be quite awkward, which is why an earbud has been designed to do the same job.

Blood samples taken from Russian cosmonauts before and after long stints on the ISS have revealed elevations of biomarkers that could indicate brain damage, adding to a growing body of research highlighting the deleterious effects of space travel.

When NASA’s Perseverance rover touches down on Mars it will carry with it the first ever spacesuit samples to land on the Red Planet. The samples will be exposed to the high-radiation environment to test the durability of future spacesuits.

Space travel is conducive to injuries. Now researchers from Dresden Technical University (TUD) have developed a 3D bioprinting method for use in space, creating new skin and bone tissue out of resources that might be available to astronauts.

For both skydivers and astronauts, a spin can be a fatal mistake, so engineering firm Draper is working on an anti-spin device to bring them automatically back to stability. Using a network of sensors and gyroscopes,the new system detects a dangerous rotation and generates a counter-torque.

We can't think about going to Mars until we know how to contain human waste on deep space missions, a problem that has stumped many of the best minds. Can the winning entries from NASA's Space Poop Challenge take astronauts beyond the adult diaper?​​

We know that human beings will be going to Mars eventually but where are we going to live once we get there? The latest design concept unveiled by NASA researchers uses ice to bring the igloo into the space age.​​