Astronauts will be able to make their own drugs in space.
Astronauts will be making their own drugs in space
NASA researchers believe that the move is critical to the success of future manned missions to space as astronauts will not have easy access to medicine in orbit.
Scientists want astronauts to create medicine and drugs by using bacteria in mini "astropharmacy" labs and NASA bosses are investing £630,000 on research into making drugs to counter radiation effects from cosmic or solar rays, bone damage and kidney stones.
Lynn Rothschild, of NASA's Ames Research Center in California, said: "Disease is an inherent part of being alive, and thus disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment is critical to space missions. Pharmaceuticals suffer from a lack of stability on Earth and even more so in space.
"As NASA embarks on a new era in space exploration the need to provide effective pharmaceuticals must be addressed."