Uncovering secrets of the moon—the role of glass beads in the lunar surface water cycle
Space historically is a place only a few select individuals will ever visit, after being chosen and intensely trained through government-run space programs. However, more and more private companies—such as Sierra Space, our Ceramic Tech Chat podcast guest this month—are starting to enter the space sector. Their immediate plans for commercializing space will ultimately have the broader impact of helping make space a more accessible destination.
Yet as more people enter space—and perhaps someday establish long-term outposts on other celestial bodies—ensuring they have all the necessary supplies for survival will be a major challenge.
Including all essential resources on the spacecraft is not feasible from both a cost and survival perspective. Launching such a heavy payload would require an enormous amount of fuel, and the crew would have no way to replace supplies that run out or are damaged.