The Mars crew could print 3D skin and bones in case of injury

"In the case of burns, for example, a new skin could be bio-printed instead of being grafted elsewhere on the astronaut's body, thus causing secondary damage that might not heal easily in the body." Orbital environment, "said Tommaso Ghidini, head of the division's European Space Agency that oversees the project, in a statement.

Scientists have been confronted with the unique challenge of creating a technique that would always work in zero gravity. The team has therefore invented a 3D printing method that works in reverse. They have thickened the human blood plasma, used for the bioprintion of skin cells, with plant material to allow an alteration of gravity. To print 3D bones, they added calcium phosphate bone cement to the printed human stem cells. Calcium phosphate acts as a structural support material and is absorbed by the body as the bone grows.

Samples are just the first steps of a long trip to prepare this type of 3D printing for space. An autonomous spacecraft can only contain a lot of them. The project is studying the type of on-board facilities that would be needed, such as surgical rooms and equipment, for astronauts to perform 3D bioprinting themselves. To find out how the ESA team has managed to create bio-printed skin and bones, watch the videos below.