Space missions will soon be less expensive and more self-sufficient with NASA's plan to use a 3D Printer for the first time in 2014.
A 3D Printer is a tool used to create a three-dimensional object through an "additive process." The printing works by putting each layer in a multiple series to create different material forms. It only needs a digital input of the required object.
Having a 3D printer in space will have significant advantages for the space agency. It will not only reduce costs but will also allow astronauts to have a useful tool in dire situations.
When a space team is in need of a specific tool or spare part to successfully carry out a mission, they won't need to communicate to the base just to request for another expensive launch to deliver the package. With 3D printing technology, they could just create the required part or tool and proceed with the activities eliminating a process that only delays the mission.
In more urgent cases or even life threatening situations, astronauts can also resolve the issues immediately and do space repair lessening the risk of fatalities.
In the past, astronauts from Apollo 13 had to improvise and use tape and plastic bags to create a make-shift carbon-dioxide filter. If 3D printers were already available back in 1970, the space team could have easily created one in a few minutes.
NASA engineering director Dave Korsmeyer of Ames Research Center told BBC News, "If you want to be adaptable, you have to be able to design and manufacture on the fly, and that's where 3D printing in space comes in."
Currently NASA is looking into 3D printing technology to allow satellites to be sent from the International Space Station. If this becomes successful, data transmission to earth will be easier and faster.
The 3D printer will be supplied by the Made in Space, a new technology company specializing in additive manufacturing. NASA requires one that will be both sturdy enough to resist the turbulence of the launch and functional in the controlled environment in space. 3D output were usually composed of polymer substance but more well-built 3D objects are now possible by using nickel-chromium and titanium materials.
