Space-driven Innovations

NASA is funding a range ofgroundbreaking projects, including one that investigates using fungi to construct habitats on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies. In other recent developments, theOSIRIS-REx missionbrought an asteroid sample back to Earth in September 2023 to provide insights into the conditions and materials present in the early stages of our solar system, while the October 2023 launch of thePsyche missionis drawing attention to the prospects of mining metals like iron, nickel, gold, and platinum from asteroids in space. However, the viability of space mining is still being evaluated, considering factors such as the high costs of space missions, potential fluctuations in commodity prices, and unresolved legal issues regarding the ownership of extraterrestrial resources.