3D printing is already being used in the space industry to create rocket engines and many more parts, but experts want to use the technology not only on the ground but also in space. Europe recently launched the first metal 3D printer to the International Space Station, and regular 3D printers have been used on the ISS for a decade. But as 3D printers become more advanced, researchers want to see if these newer versions could be used in space too.
Recently a team from the University of California, Berkeley sent a new 3D printer to space on a Virgin Galactic mission. The printer, called SpaceCAL and designed specifically for microgravity environments, had just a few minutes in space but was able to print four test parts in that time. Those test prints included, appropriately enough, a tiny model space shuttle made from a liquid plastic material called PEGDA.
The idea is that such technology could be used on future missions to create tools or supplies that are needed. “We hope that someday it may be used to manufacture everything from parts and tools for spacecraft to new contact lenses and dental crowns for crew members,” said researcher Taylor Waddell. “So, with the cabin, if your spacecraft is breaking down, you can print O-rings or mechanical mounts or even tools. But CAL is also capable of repairing the crew. We can print dental replacements, skin grafts or lenses, or things personalized in emergency medicine for astronauts, which is very important in these missions, too.”
That’s because CAL doesn’t only print in plastic. When tested on Earth, it can also print in silicones, glass composites, and biomaterials, which could allow it to create emergency care for the crew as well as their spacecraft. It could even one day print human organs, which is the aim of a new grant for testing out the technology on the ISS. The next step toward this is printing more simple objects like dental crowns or a tool for closing wounds.
And such technology could have other uses in extreme or remote environments on Earth too. “These experiments are really focused on pushing technology for the betterment of everyone,” Waddell said. “Even though it’s for space, there are always tons of ways it can benefit people back here on Earth.”
After 13 suborbital test flights and more than $15 billion in development costs, SpaceX's Starship has finally reached orbit. The 407-foot megarocket, the most powerful ever built, lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on Monday and delivered its first real payload on it's 14th attempt. The celebration came with an asterisk, though, since SpaceX had to cut the planned 10-hour mission to roughly three hours.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/2104601695711904180
SpaceX is finally ready to give Starship its biggest test yet. The company says the massive rocket's 14th test flight is scheduled for September 22, when it will attempt to put the upper stage into Earth orbit for the first time. The launch is currently pending regulatory approval, with a 75-minute window opening at 7:15 a.m. CT.
Starship has 26 Starlink satellites to deliver
For decades, humanity has looked up at the Moon and wondered what it would be like to live on it. Think sprawling cities, factories, research centers, and permanent human settlements. Unfortunately, there is one fairly fundamental problem with that vision.
A new study published in Frontiers in Space Technologies argues that even the Moon's potentially enormous reserves of frozen water may be nowhere near enough to support city-sized populations sustainably. Researchers Martin Elvis and Jonathan McDowell estimate that the permanently shadowed regions near the lunar poles could contain roughly one billion tons of water. It sounds like an extraordinary amount until you put a million thirsty humans next to it.