Raul Polit Casillas, a systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California and son to a fashion designer, has alongside his team developed new fabrics to be used for large antennas and other deployable devices. One such material is particularly helpful because it is foldable and its shape can change quickly. In addition, this fabric could also be used to shield a spacecraft from meteorites, for astronaut spacesuits, or capturing objects on the surface of another planet.

The prototype ultimately looks like chainmail, featuring small silver squares strung together. This material wasn't sewn by hand, however. It was printed in one piece with additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing on an industrial scale. Additive manufacturing deposits material in layers in order to build up the desired object, as opposed to traditional manufacturing techniques in which parts are welded together.

"We call it '4-D printing' because we can print both the geometry and the function of these materials," said Polit Casillas. "If 20th Century manufacturing was driven by mass production, then this is the mass production of functions."

Not only is additive manufacturing notably cheaper than more traditional methods, but it also enhances the ability to create unique materials.

"We are just scratching the surface of what's possible," said Shapiro-Scharlotta of JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), whose office funds research for early stage technologies like the space fabric. "The use of organic and non-linear shapes at no additional costs to fabrication will lead to more efficient mechanical designs."

In addition to hopefully one day testing out such a fabric in space, JPL also wants to be able to manufacture them in space as well.

Now press play underneath to see how NASA is developing the next generation spacesuit.