Space Technology Mission Directorate

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Sp a c e Te c h nolo g y Game Changing Development Highlights July-August 2014 NASA Langley Technology Day Draws Huge Crowd 3D Printer Ready for Launch Student Interns Join Space Tech for the Summer 1 Going Up! Advanced Manufacturing’s “Machine Shop in Space” Set for Launch —Denise M. Stefula The SpaceX-4 launch scheduled for September 20, 2014, We checked in with Niki Werkheiser, 3D print project will carry the first 3D printer to the International Space manager, for an in-depth look into the team’s preparation Station (ISS). The “3D Printing in Zero Gravity Technology for launching a technology demonstration that will inform Demonstration” test will serve as proof-of-concept for 3D what could become the very first “machine shop in space.” printing in microgravity. Q: What is the importance of this endeavor? NASA’s Game Changing Development Program team, A: The capability of manufacturing needed parts on- which includes industry partner Made In Space, Inc., demand during a mission, without having to rely on in support of the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies resupply from Earth, is critical to a sustainable existence project, is at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) off Earth. In situ fabrication and repair technologies ready ing for launch. Researchers are performing materials provide risk mitigation for missions, as they provide characterization and testing on parts identical to those crucial parts on demand. that will be printed in space to ensure that the design parameters and materials are well understood when it Q: Tell us about characterizing the ground samples comes time to compare the ground and space samples. that the flight samples will be compared with? The 3D printers use acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) A: The ground samples will be analyzed for tensile plastic—the same material Legos® are made of—as strength, compression resistance, and flexure. MSFC feedstock, and the printer deposits the plastic one layer currently has multiple copies of coupons that will be at a time to build, or print, a three-dimensional object. printed on orbit for comparison. These samples will 3D print flight unit in the Micro Science Glovebox engineering unit (left) printing final ground control samples (right). 2 serve as the baseline for comparison—to show the ground for properties such as dimensional variability, difference between the material properties of objects strength, general material characteristics, as well as printed on the ground and those printed on orbit. behavior of the material based on the way it is layered (printed). The data generated from the ground prints Q: What is the desired outcome of this comparison? will be compared with the data obtained from prints A: The desired outcome is to show that parts printed made on orbit. This comparison will determine if there on orbit are equitable to parts printed on the ground are any meaningful differences between printing on the in terms of applications and utilization. Once that is ground and in space that are a result of microgravity. established, the second phase of the tech demo will If differences are identified and understood, the next focus on demonstrating the meaningful utilization of parts generation of on orbit 3D printers will evolve to account for printed on orbit, such as crew tools, experiment hardware, any microgravity effects. If it is established that the ground medical hardware, etc. Made In Space, Inc., is also using and space prints are equitable, then the second phase of the design and operations data from the 3D print tech the technology demonstration will focus on demonstrating demo as feedback for developing its commercial Additive utilization of the printed parts (such as crew tools, payload Manufacturing Facility (AMF), which will be the next ancillary hardware, medical equipment, etc.) on the ISS. generation 3D printer for space station. Q: Tell us about the ground operations training Q: Tell us more about the MSFC prelaunch material going on…the various elements being trained in testing activity. What is the process? prior to launch, desired outcomes, etc. A: The MSFC materials testing activity will identify any A: Ground operations training involves making sure effects of microgravity on the printing process. This will delegated parties understand the full capability of be accomplished by analyzing samples printed on the system commands and that those commands meet Niki Werkheiser: The Importance of 3D Printing Technology capability to produce on-demand goods wherever and whenever they might be needed. This is particularly meaningful when applied to space exploration where the supply chain has been severely constrained due to the dependency on launching everything that might be needed from Earth. Later this year, history will be made by launching the first 3D printer to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX-4 rocket. This technology will forevermore improve the way we live and operate in space and ultimately provide the much-needed solution for sustainable human exploration. It will disrupt the traditional supply chain we’ve been constrained by throughout spaceflight history and present options never before considered. In addition to the obvious on-demand benefits, it Any remote location, whether it is the becomes even more intriguing when one begins to middle of the desert or the surface of realize that parts can be designed in a whole new Mars, presents a challenge in terms of way when they can be designed and produced in the obtaining the resources one needs to microgravity environment and the significant structural thrive. Analogous to the way the printing press evoked constraints due to launch loads experienced when the Renaissance and generated a middle class by escaping Earth’s gravity no longer apply. With this making information accessible to everyone, 3D printing technology, you can design the part you need both will do the same by providing the individual with the in and for the environment where it will be used. 3 the requirements for interfacing with space station will demonstrate that 3D printing of objects on ISS will not systems. For example, Made In Space, Inc., will be require a lot of crew time and, if need be, ground stations able to turn the power, lights and printing operations can send necessary commands to the hardware. Lastly, in on and off of the printer on the space station from their the future, Made In Space plans to fly a commercial printer offices in Silicon Valley. Because this is a technology that will be accessible not only to NASA users, but to demonstration, we want to learn everything we can about businesses, universities, entrepreneurs, researchers, etc. how printing in space may differ from printing on Earth. Q: What’s on tap for the future that you feel is On the ground, Made In Space is printing thousands interesting to share or an important benefit from the of times, extensively testing the hardware to see how work on this project? it functions under a range of variables. Made In Space A: Of interest, we have an agreement with the European has already tested 3D printing on parabolic airplane Space Agency to collaborate on the materials data for in- flights, which provide small periods of microgravity, space manufacturing and we are also working closely with and successfully printed during those flights. That the NASA ISS Tools Office and payload users to identify being said, there’s no one-to-one comparison in terms parts that would be candidates for on orbit printing. of the environment, so NASA and Made In Space will be evaluating any differences encountered. This project has illustrated how beneficial the SBIR program is; opportunities to collaborate reap important Q: What is the purpose of the remote commanding benefits. NASA and Made In Space have worked together area and how will the team use it? as one team leveraging mutual strengths throughout A: Though it is possible for astronauts to operate the the development of this project and as a result, a first- printer on ISS, astronaut time is very limited, so the more time flight capability has been developed ahead of we can operate remotely from the ground, the more we schedule, within budget, and with minimal risk. can print on-orbit. Additionally, Made In Space and NASA want to demonstrate the capability to quickly upload a The Game Changing Development Program is part of file from the ground and print it on the space station. This NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. 3D print flight unit in the MSFC High Bay. 4 Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 Flight Test Scheduled for Advanced Space Power Systems Project In a set of three flight tests scheduled to begin in September, the Advanced Space Power Systems (ASPS) project will evaluate solar array components as well as the capability of the Earth resources, or ER-2 aircraft, to conduct solar cell measurement testing. The ASPS project, part of Space Technology’s Game Changing Development Program, seeks to define affordable, high-power solar cells for future deep space missions such as those that will use solar electric propulsion. The testing, which is a collaboration between NASA’s Glenn ER-2 aircraft. Research Center and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Center, will be the first time advanced solar cells will be tested in the It’s an ideal aircraft for testing advanced solar cells. wing pods of an ER-2 aircraft. “The ER-2 design enables testing at higher altitudes, which The ER-2, flying at the edge of space, can scan shorelines, means researchers can collect more accurate space- measure water levels, help fight forest fires, profile the atmo- related data and can have a longer season available for sphere, assess flood damage, and sample the stratosphere.

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