And if they had a medical issue or injury, home wouldn't be far away.
But for astronauts on future deep-space missions, like one to Mars, even a simple radio message might take up to 20 minutes to reach Earth. So how can they pack light and still bring all of the necessities, especially with an increased risk of injury during a six-month flight?
The answer could be what Dr. Julielynn Wong calls the "doctor's bag of the future": 3-D printing.
