The Enduring Puzzle of Self Sufficiency in Space NASA's plans for lunar bases and human missions to Mars have been gaining momentum, raising the question: how will we sustain life in space without relying on constant resupply from Earth?
This problem is not new. In 1962, NASA conducted Project Highwater, which involved detonating a water tank at an altitude of about 65 miles to study atmospheric effects.
Although this experiment seems unrelated to modern space exploration, it was actually a precursor to the debate over closed environments and biological life support systems.