First 3D Printer Is Now Officially At the International Space Station

[Brian_Krassenstein]

Today, the first 3D printer arrived in space, at the International Space Station, much to the excitement of the everyone. The Zero-G 3D printer, by Made in Space was delivered along with 5,000 lbs. of supplies in the SpaceX Dragon freighter. It locked into place at ISS earlier this afternoon to much hoopla, and will be immediately set up to start producing demo pieces such as tools and parts, which will be viewed by NASA on video, as well as inspected upon return to see if the 3D printed pieces actually have what it takes to make it in space. Additive manufactured is hoped to be a tool used in space in the future for printing replacement parts and helping to build space stations, perhaps on Mars. There are a number of businesses who have their sights set on starting quite an industry there. More details on this story can be found here: http://3dprint.com/16358/first-3d-pr...space-station/

Check out an image of the Dragon space capsule attached to the ISS:

[Feign]

Today I've kind of been torn as to which story to be more excited about, the successful docking of the Dragon capsule (effectively breaking the Boeing/Lockheed grip on the space market) or the arrival of the Made In Space printer...

Either way, a big day for space.

[Geoff]

Today I've kind of been torn as to which story to be more excited about, the successful docking of the Dragon capsule (effectively breaking the Boeing/Lockheed grip on the space market) or the arrival of the Made In Space printer...

Either way, a big day for space.

They actually docked first in 2012, the printer is more exciting

[bshadown]

mabe not in my days, but meabe in 50 years we could be walking and living in cities over mars, and having some sort of space ferry that carry people and goods in a week or two, back and fort from the earth to mars, just like the train used to.

[Feign]

Even in 50 years, the trip to mars will take over a year, and only depart when Earth and Mars are on the same side of the sun (no way you'd send a passenger/supply ship past the sun to get to Mars.) for roughly a two year period every six years, with the optimal launch window only lasting about two weeks and only coming around again roughly every six years.

There's actually quite a lot of interesting little considerations about space travel, but it's safe to say that even in the far future, Mars is something that would be a big life-altering step that would be permanent for generations of one's family. (and one that would require quite the pioneer spirit)

As for the first docking test having already happened, this was the first actual cargo shipment to the ISS by SpaceX, as far as I knew about. Still, yeah, I'm going with the Made In Space printer finally getting to its home being more exciting.

[curious aardvark]

ah but if anyone ever has the guts to build Orion - you could probably do the trip in a couple of months.

The thing about 3d printing in zero gravity was interesting too.

No supports needed for anything even with basic fff.
No slumpage.
Should be much much easier to print stuff in plastic in space than on earth.

Not sure I'd want a powdered metal machine up there though If that stuff got into the general environment it could screw with a lot of the systems.

[bshadown]

its all about propulsion my friend, 20 years ago people believe it was imposible to send something bigger than a small satelite to the space, now we have the ISS over our heads and Curoisity on mars, in the 50's gps and satellite maps were imposible and only a dream, now you can get to any street using google maps and your smartphone, and lets be honest 100 years ago you would be thrown to the fire just for saying that we can send people and stuff to other planets and that we can 3d print almosts anything that we want, sometimes even better than factory made. cheers.

PD: if you attach a nuclear reactor to an Ion Propulsion system you might get some preatty nice impulse for a spaceship.

[Feign]

I agree it's all about propulsion, and that there are certainly designs that could possibly get there faster... But I'm taking into account real (optimistic, but real) rates of development and construction.

Besides, a one-year one-way trip to Mars isn't impossible to bear. Just a little beyond most people's capacity. Then again, most people wouldn't be too excited about realistically living on Mars to begin with.

[bshadown]

all the people i know said im allways on the moon, going a little farther might be nice, besides we already have all the tech to warm up a planet, just make a couple of carbon factories up there and wuala, energy+heat for the population, and c'mon living on another unknow land is exacly what the europeans did when they travel to america and beyond. but they didnt have 3d printing, and that give us a nice advantage

[Feign]

we already have all the tech to warm up a planet

Between 2 and 6 degrees Fahrenheit over the next hundred years if nature somehow doesn't regulate the change in CO2 the way it has with much more drastic and widespread natural occurrences in the past.

Granted, those natural occurrences coincided with mass extinctions, so increased CO2 isn't something to be dismissed out-of-hand, but even the most drastic climate change model preformed by NASA is nowhere near the apocalyptic hyperbole that gets reported.