![]() ![]() The crew reproduces the genetic program, and the bacteria reproduce and synthesize the raw materials, which are used to 3-D print the strap. These genetic instructions and 3-D printing instructions are sent digitally from Earth to the space crew. (This work could also take place well before the need arises during the space mission.) The maker community works out the design of a strap from those materials. On Earth, synthetic biologists, whether of the DIY type or not, design and test genetic programs instructing bacteria to produce the polymer feedstock for 3-D printing. Here's one example of how this vision could be implemented: Say that astronauts faced a situation that occurred on the ISS in 2007 - a solar panel has torn and needs a repair strap. "The idea is what we call a 'bits-to-biology' converter," says David Walsh, a bioengineer at Lincoln Laboratory. The building blocks to edit these cells can be digitized and sent to the space crew in the form of a DNA sequence, which can be synthesized, assembled, and inserted into an organism on ship. Bioengineers can reprogram the inner logic of these organisms' cells to produce target compounds. Living organisms can convert sunlight, nitrogen, and water into finished products. Such a process would give scientists "the autonomy to design for the unknown," says Jessica Snyder, a USRA researcher who leads the synthetic biology task for the NASA Academic Mission Services. To meet this need, the authors envision using synthetic biology to produce custom biological "ink" to 3-D print whatever may be needed over the course of a mission. But if 3-D printing is to be a reliable tool for long-duration missions in space, a new problem crops up: the need to supply the ship with the feedstock for the printers. Experiments done on the ISS with 3-D printers have proven their utility for manufacturing on-demand items, like replacement hardware. We're just getting started."ģ-D printers are common staples of makerspaces. "But this also requires organizations like ours and NASA to connect more deeply with them in a two-way process, so there's a real pathway to getting people's work into space. There are parallels here with space and the needs of NASA crews," Carr says. ![]() "These separate, eclectic communities do bio in unconventional settings all the time and are pioneers at rapid prototyping and developing technologies with limited resources. Many DIY biologist groups operate makerspaces that provide equipment and supplies for members to do experiments on their own. The community operates outside the traditional academic or industry settings and spreads knowledge through open sourcing. The DIY biology community makes it possible for anyone in the public with an interest to conduct biological engineering. "Our opinion piece is a call to action to get DIY biology and makerspace communities involved," says Peter Carr, who works in Lincoln Laboratory's Bioengineering Systems and Technologies Group. But to make these ideas a reality, NASA is seeking help. In an opinion piece published online in Trends in Biotechnology, researchers from the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and NASA outline ways that synthetic biology and 3-D printing can support life during deep-space human missions. These materials can then be fed into 3-D printers to manufacture things the astronauts may need during spaceflight - everything from hardware and medical devices to medicine and food. ![]() Cells of fungi and bacteria, for example, can be reprogrammed with synthetic DNA to produce specific materials, like bioplastics. ![]() What these astronauts can pack are Earth's unique renewable resource: cells. It won't be feasible to pack everything they may need over the course of the mission, and resupply missions like those that keep the International Space Station (ISS) stocked will be prohibitively expensive and lengthy. As NASA gears up to send humans back to the moon or even to Mars, they'll need to figure out how to keep these humans healthy and safe, far away from the resource-abundant Earth. ![]()
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