There are many amazing discoveries made almost every day at the International Space Station. NASA’s most recent experiment has resulted in great NASA 3D prints. NASA just received their first shipment of NASA 3D prints from the ISS and are eager to see what they reveal to space scientists and researchers.
NASA 3D Prints
NASA 3D Prints, as seen at NASA’s website, are shapes that have been created through a specialized 3D printer. NASA wanted to test out what would happen if they used the same 3D printer on Earth and then on the International Space Station. The Marshall Space Flight Center just received the prints recently after the return of several astronauts from the space station. Researchers are curious about the effects of zero gravity on the 3D printing process
There were approximately 21 objects that were received from the ISS and each was carefully wrapped, sealed and labeled to ensure that the earth-bound scientists would be able to accurately identify and study each one. NASA 3D prints, as seen at the Marshall Space Flight Center website, are currently being held at the center in Huntsville, and NASA has high expectations for new discoveries that will come from these items.
Marshall Space Flight Center and Quincy Bean
Quincy Bean is the head of NASA’s 3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration, and together with his team at Marshall Space Flight Center, he will study all of the possible differences between the items that were created in space and the ones that were created here on Earth.
Many of the designs that were printed in space were new ones that the ISS did not originally have access to. Researchers on Earth had to design the plates for the new items and then send them to the ISS so that they could use them in this new experiment. The SpaceX Dragon, which is essentially the equivalent of our cargo ships on Earth, was able to take all of the materials and printing necessities from Earth to the ISS, as well as return the 3D prints safely when it came time to deliver them back home.
The Testing Process
There are many tests that have been discussed that will be run on NASA 3D prints. These tests will help space scientists and researchers to better determine what differences, if any, there are between the objects created on Earth and the ones created in space. There will be tests done to determine durability, the soundness of the overall structure of each piece, and the strength of each item as well. NASA 3D prints are just another stepping-stone in the vast array of space exploration missions and experiments taking place. If the process works well, it could provide the ability for future astronauts to create spare parts while in space.
If only you could 3D print your visual postcards capturing what you’re trying to send home in the moment:
https://youtu.be/Y4fGsVUEdVU
