Life Beyond Earth: How Space Stations Are Preparing Us for Interplanetary Living

Perhaps it’s the stories woven around stars over thousands of years that have fueled the curiosity that has taken mankind off stories and into space. When humanity’s next evolutionary step looks more and more like becoming an interplanetary species, orbital structures like the ISS and other space stations are invaluable testing grounds for technologies and measures required for life outside of the home planet. Available now, these orbiting laboratories shed light on issues of microgravity, space travel and even so the colonization in the next step on the Moon and Mars.