Made-in-Space Parts Could Become Space Travel's New Norm
by Leonard David, SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
Date: 19 July 2012 Time: 12:47 PM ET
|
| NASA has carried out parabolic flights that mimic
microgravity to test "additive manufacturing" – a process that allows
for on-call fabrication of spare parts. Work is under way to pursue
hardware and procedural changes to make equipment more robust and
astronaut-friendly. CREDIT: Courtesy of NASA/Karen Taminger |
Maybe it's time to shelve the old saying, "you can't leave home without it," when it comes to packing for trips to space.
Say you're hunkered down inside Mars Base-1 and a vital piece of life-support gear breaks down. A hurried search in supply bins proves futile. The next cycler spaceship with equipment is months away. Time is running out.
This disaster scenario could be short-circuited by what's tagged as "additive manufacturing" — a process to fabricate or 3D print a critical widget layer by layer. Using additive manufacturing equipment, items can be cranked out on the spot, whether they're made of hard plastics or certain metals.
MORE: http://www.space.com/16656-space-manufacturing-3d-printing.html
Source: Space.com
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