NASA said astronauts that will travel to and live on Mars will no longer have to rely on supplies ferried from Earth.

Instead, astronauts will be able to sustain themselves on the Red Planet using locally sourced materials; can build 3D printed structures and even make rocket fuel.

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NASA is now investing in a technology called "In-Situ Resource Utilization" (ISRU) to enable deep space missions by using natural resources indigenous to Mars. This technology will make storing consumables possible and provide such basic human needs like breathable air, drinking water and even food.

ISRU's main objective is to help astronauts rely less on Earth sourced supplies and to groom astronauts to become reliant on their own sustainables during space expeditions.

It takes about six months of space travel for humans to arrive on Mars given the current technology.

Mars' orbit around the sun makes it difficult to gauge how much resources will be carried to Mars or grown on Mars.

NASA is now investing in ISRU experiments. Last August, NASA announced instruments on board the proposed 2020 Mars rover for the U.S. space agency's Mars mission that advance ISRU.

The Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) will convert carbon dioxide present in the Martian atmosphere into breathable oxygen. If successful, MOXIE will be used in future manned missions to Mars to replenish life support.

The oxygen converted from carbon dioxide can even be used as fuel for an ascent vehicle taking off from Martian soil. NASA is adamant that when MOXIE is successful, it will greatly lessen the costs and amount of cargo that have to be carried on human missions to Mars.

TagsNew NASA Technology Will Allow Astronauts to be Self Sustainable on Mars, Mars, NASA, ISRU, MOXIE, mars technology human colonization astronauts, mars rover 2020