New Delhi: A new history has been scripted in Space science with first ever 3D printing successfully done in space.
The International Space Station's newly-installed 3D printer achieved this feat Wednesday morning ( around 2.58am IST) by manufacturing the first object ever 3D printed in space.
NASA had developed this printer under a contract with the startup 'Made In Space'.The printer was installed on the ISS as a means of testing the feasibility of astronauts manufacturing their own parts and tools in microgravity.
“This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth,” said NASA's Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer, in a press release.
“As we print more parts we'll be able to learn whether some of the effects we are seeing are caused by microgravity or just part of the normal fine-tuning process for printing. When we get the parts back on Earth, we'll be able to do a more detailed analysis to find out how they compare to parts printed on Earth,” Werkheiser added in the release.
“This project demonstrates the basic fundamentals of useful manufacturing in space. The results of this experiment will serve as a stepping stone for significant future capabilities that will allow for the reduction of spare parts and mass on a spacecraft, which will change exploration mission architectures for the better,” Made In Space's Mike Snyder said in a statement.
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