In this image: The 3-D Printer will fabricate components and equipment on demand for manned missions to the space station and ot
In this image: The 3-D Printer will fabricate components and equipment on demand for manned missions to the space station and other destinations in the solar system as a part of the 3-D Printing in Zero-G Experiment. Excerpt from the article: Suppose an astronaut needed to make a repair to a piece of equipment on the International Space Station. Today, astronauts aboard the International Space Station depend on cargo resupply missions to ferry parts and tools from Earth, sometimes waiting weeks or months for critical maintenance supplies. As we venture farther into the solar system, these cargo resupply missions will become more costly and complex, compelling NASA to consider alternate options for spacecraft supplies. Rather than stock a “spare parts” drawer, what if tools and equipment could be made right there in space? It may seem like an unbelievable feat, but NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center awarded Made in Space a Phase III Small Business Innovation and Research Contract to develop, test and certify for flight the first mini-machine shop to perform 3-D printing in space. The 3-D printing in Zero-G Experiment project, or 3-D Print for short, has been underway since October 2012. The resulting printer will fabricate small components and equipment on orbit and on demand. Read full article: ( ) Image credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given More about space station research: ( ) Flickr Album: Space Station Research Affects Lives: ( ) ________________________________ These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use
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Photo credit: © NG Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: -, 3-, additive, center, experiment, flight, ma, manufacturing, marshall, nasa, printer, printing, space
