Space sustainability, advanced materials and micro/nanotechnologies for future life in outer Space

Abstract

The idea of living in Space is more and more a highly topical question. Orbital stations, the Moon, Mars are new possible lands for living, but to reach this goal, new advanced materials should be investigated, and micro/nano technologies exploited considering a sustainable development. The building of spacecraft, habitat modules and spacesuits for astronauts and Space tourists for going to the deep space needs high performance and shielding materials and micro/nanoengineering. In this communication, the new concept of Space sustainability is highlighted, the achievement in advanced sustainable material design and testing in Space and the promising use of micro/nanotechnologies for space applications are discussed.