Space can be an unforgiving environment for elderly satellites, with temperature extremes, tiny rocks and other hazards threatening to breach spacecraft hulls. But future spacecraft may be able to extend their mission lifetimes by borrowing a human trait to heal minor nicks and scratches. "The analogy is the human body," said Ian Bond, of England's University of Bristol, in an interview with SPACE.com. "Think about cutting yourself. There, capillary action will draw blood out to block the cut." Bond and his colleague developed a similar system, but replacing blood with resin and veins with tiny glass tubes, to fill in...
