World's First 3D Printer in Space Will Launch This Month

[Buster's Uncle]

World's First 3D Printer in Space Will Launch This Month
SPACE.com
by Mike Wall, Senior Writer  2 hours ago



In April, this 3-D printer passed tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.



The first 3D printer ever to fly in space will blast off this month, and NASA has high hopes for the innovative device's test runs on the International Space Station.

The 3D printer, which is scheduled to launch toward the orbiting lab Sept. 19 aboard SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo capsule, could help lay the foundation for broader in-space manufacturing capabilities, NASA officials said. The end result could be far less reliance on resupply from Earth, leading to cheaper and more efficient missions to faraway destinations such as Mars.

"The on-demand capability can revolutionize the constrained supply chain model we are limited to today and will be critical for exploration missions," Niki Werkheiser, manager of NASA's "3-D Printing in Zero-G" project at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement.

3D Printing in Zero-G is a collaboration between NASA and California-based startup Made in Space, which built the machine that's heading to the space station this month. The microwave-size 3D printer was cleared for flight in April after an extensive series of tests at Marshall.

3D printers build objects layer by layer out of metal, plastic, composites and other materials, using a technique called extrusion additive manufacturing. NASA hopes Made in Space's device works normally aboard the station, thus demonstrating that 3D printers can produce high-quality parts in space as well as on Earth.



Mike Snyder and Jason Dunn of Made In Space construct a 3-D printer in the company's cleanroom. This device will eventually be utilized on the International Space Station.


If that turns out to be the case, replacing a broken part or tool aboard the orbiting lab could be a matter of simply pushing a button.

"I remember when the tip broke off a tool during a mission," said NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, who lived aboard the space station from December 2009 to June 2010. "I had to wait for the next shuttle to come up to bring me a new one. Now, rather than wait for a resupply ship to bring me a new tool, in the future, I could just print it."

It will likely take the 3D printer from 15 minutes to an hour to print something aboard the space station, depending on the size and complexity of the object, researchers said. Blueprints for desired parts can be loaded onto the machine before launch or beamed up from the ground.

"This means that we could go from having a part designed on the ground to printed in orbit within an hour or two from start to finish," Werkheiser said.

While the space station is the proving ground for this test, NASA officials see great potential for 3D printing beyond low-Earth orbit. For example, deep-space missions could benefit greatly from the technology, because it would be tough to ferry a spare part to a vessel already on its way to an asteroid or Mars.

"NASA is great at planning for component failures and contingencies. However, there's always the potential for unknown scenarios that you couldn't possibly think of ahead of time," said Ken Cooper, principal investigator at Marshall for 3D printing. "That's where a 3D printer in space can pay off. While the first experiment is designed to test the 3D printing process in microgravity, it is the first step in sustaining longer missions beyond low-Earth orbit."


http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-first-3d-printer-space-launch-month-095730259.html

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA flying first zero-gravity 3D printer into space
CNET CBS
By Amanda Kooser  43 minutes ago



This 3D printer has passed testing and is ready for orbit. NASA/Emmett Given



A small desktop-size 3D printer is about to boldly go where no 3D printer has gone before: into space. The printer is scheduled to launch with other cargo on a resupply mission aboard SpaceX-4, which could head up the International Space Station as early as September 19.

NASA has embraced 3D printers down here on Earth, so it's only natural it would want to extend the technology to reach astronauts in orbit. The experiment is officially called the "3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration." Made in Space, a small business focused on adapting 3D printing for manufacturing in space, built the printer for NASA.

The printer is the size of a small microwave and is mainly designed as a proof of concept to see if printing in zero gravity can create objects that are as accurate and as strong as those produced by a printer on Earth.

The long-term goal is to create a space-based machine shop for astronauts. If all goes well with this experiment, then NASA will move on to a more elaborate next-generation printer called the Additive Manufacturing Facility. NASA plans to allow researchers and scientists outside of the space agency access to this next-gen printer.

While astronauts will probably be tempted to print out My Little Pony figurines and high-fashion shoes, the printer could eventually be used to create tools and parts to replace broken items. Looking even further down the space-road, 3D printers could be critical tools for long-term manned space expeditions to Mars.

"This means that we could go from having a part designed on the ground to printed in orbit within an hour [or] two from start to finish. The on-demand capability can revolutionize the constrained supply chain model we are limited to today and will be critical for exploration missions," Niki Werkheiser, NASA's 3D print project manager, said in a statement.

Here's hoping the astronauts at least find the time to print out a Tardis Transformer or a mini version of the USS Enterprise while they're putting the printer through its paces.



The 3D printer during assembly at Made in Space. Made in Space


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-flying-first-zero-gravity-171921392.html