A local aerospace and defense firm has experimental materials onboard the International Space Station.
Cornerstone Research Group has eleven different polymer samples mounted to the exterior of the ISS.
The Miamisburg company is participating in a project with NASA and other researchers to see how various items hold up to the harsh environment of space.
The experiment is to find the best materials that can be used to build items on the moon, Mars, and asteroids using robots and other forms of automation.
The items can be used for biomedical devices, aerospace structures, and smart textiles.
The materials will be brought back to Earth after six months of exposure to space. It will be examined to see how well it held up to the vacuum of space, temperature fluctuations, and radiation.