We all know that 3D printing is the technology du jour, that is quickly becoming one of the most exciting advancements in engineering in decades. Well, now it’s taking to the stars.
NASA has revealed that it hopes to one day make tools in space using 3D printers.
NASA already builds some of its equipment and parts using 3D printing, but this next step would take the printer from the lab to the shuttle.
The advanced-manufacturing principal investigator for the directorate’s Game Changing Devrlopmrnt Program, LaNetra Tate, said in a statement: "With additive manufacturing, we have an opportunity to push the envelope on how this technology might be used in zero gravity — how we might ultimately manufacture in space."
The Marshall Space Flight Center in the US is currently working with Made In Space, a Silicon Valley-based startup, to fly a 3D printer to the International Space Station as soon as October.
By the end of this year, NASA may be printing tools and replacement equipment in space, allowing them to be self-sufficient in terms of equipment, and prolonging their missions. It is definitely one giant leap for 3D printing.
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