The International Space Station is getting its first printer upgrade in 17 years

Somewhere, 254 miles above us, an astronaut is probably printing something.

Ever since the International Space Station (ISS) welcomed its first residents in November of 2000, there have been printers on board.

Astronauts use them to print out critical mission information, emergency evacuation procedures and, sometimes, photos from home. According to NASA, they print roughly 1,000 pages a month on two printers; one is installed on the U.S. side of the ISS, the other in the Russian segment.

ISS residents do all this on 20-year-old technology. Read more...