In its latest resupply mission, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carried bandages made from 3-D bioprinted material to the International Space Station as part of a cargo shipment carrying over 6,500 pounds of various articles.
Described in a NASA press release, the bandages are created with special bioprinting machinery using viable cells and molecules from the injured person to form tissue materials. These tissues can then help wounds heal, keeping them safe in space environments.
The technology is still experimental for NASA, and researchers intend to include it in future missions to both the Moon and Mars.
NASA described the emerging technology as potentially “safer and more flexible” treatment methods.
