The Exciting Possibilities of 3D Printing in Zero-G
Thursday, October 16, 3:00 pm
NASA is currently engaged in exploring of 3D printing in space using a printer designed by Made In Space. This printer is designed to work in a microgravity environment to produce space assets in... well... SPACE!
NASA wants to test the idea of making parts inexpensively in orbit as opposed to down here on Earth and launching them to where they need to be.
3D printing serves as a fast and inexpensive way to manufacture parts on-site and on-demand, reducing the need for costly spares on the International Space Station and future spacecraft. Long-term missions would benefit greatly from having onboard manufacturing capabilities. Data and experience gathered in this demonstration will improve future 3-dimensional manufacturing technology and equipment for the space program, allowing a greater degree of autonomy and flexibility for astronauts.
Please join Tony Darnell Dr Carol Christian and Scott Lewis as they discuss this new experiment from NASA with Jason Dunn and Michael Snyder from Made in Space, the company contracted by NASA to build the 3D printer currently being used.
For more information on NASA's 3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1115.html#description
Made in Space:
http://www.madeinspace.us/
Yeah, characterization is a big issue. Yet to be solved. A micro-CT (X-Ray) system could be a big help, but it'd be bigger than the printer.
No, and no where near that bulky, expensive or time consuming. All they need is what's already on the shelf for diagnosing metalwork (welding and casting), composite construction and many other uses - a hand held sonar.Yeah, characterization is a big issue. Yet to be solved. A micro-CT (X-Ray) system could be a big help, but it'd be bigger than the printer.What would allow them to work around this problem? Reliance on statistical quality control? A long-term experimental program to determine how reliable 3-D printing is?
No, and no where near that bulky, expensive or time consuming. All they need is what's already on the shelf for diagnosing metalwork (welding and casting), composite construction and many other uses - a hand held sonar.
One thing that came out of Made in Space interviews was the need to allow for 3D printing of spares when designing new space stations. Ideally most parts on a new spacestation will be printed on the same printers that will be carried on board. In case of large parts allow for a replaced to be printed from multiple smaller parts and bolted together.
No, and no where near that bulky, expensive or time consuming. All they need is what's already on the shelf for diagnosing metalwork (welding and casting), composite construction and many other uses - a hand held sonar.
If the issue is that easy to resolve, I wonder why Mike Snyder stated that convincing NASA that 3-D printing is reliable will require a lot of heavy-duty persuasion and proof.One thing that came out of Made in Space interviews was the need to allow for 3D printing of spares when designing new space stations. Ideally most parts on a new spacestation will be printed on the same printers that will be carried on board. In case of large parts allow for a replaced to be printed from multiple smaller parts and bolted together.
Sparing is a big problem. The MIT analysis of Mars One’s mission design cited its failure to adequately account for sparing needs as probably a fatal flaw. Additive manufacturing could go a long way toward resolving it.
1-If NASA doesn't wish to use the 3D Printer
2-the ESA it seems has their own program. They believe in it...
SNIP
1-NASA is funding this experiment. There is no reason to conclude "they don't wish to use it." But it is an experiment. 3D printing in general has to prove itself as a useful technology. And for any piece of equipment going on the ISS the standard of proof is high. You cannot substitute a new part and then have it kill somebody.
2-ESA is doing the same thing NASA is doing. There is no reason to conclude that NASA doesn't believe in 3D printing and ESA does. They are doing experiments.
3)NASA is ahead of the game on this. ESA is playing catch-up.
1-If NASA doesn't wish to use the 3D Printer
2-the ESA it seems has their own program. They believe in it...
SNIP
1-NASA is funding this experiment. There is no reason to conclude "they don't wish to use it." But it is an experiment. 3D printing in general has to prove itself as a useful technology. And for any piece of equipment going on the ISS the standard of proof is high. You cannot substitute a new part and then have it kill somebody.
2-ESA is doing the same thing NASA is doing. There is no reason to conclude that NASA doesn't believe in 3D printing and ESA does. They are doing experiments.
3)NASA is ahead of the game on this. ESA is playing catch-up.
You may research the materials and come to a different conclusion.
3) ESA may leapfrog with a superior printer.
1) NASA invested an extensive amount of money into their first printer that has a sorted past. Currently, some patent lawsuits regarding that printer are in the court(s). The guts of the printer was highly advanced when it first came out of China. I was one of the first, if not the first in the USA to test samples. Today, the printer is highly mass produced. Office Depot offers a print service (local) with the printer, Staples and other stores sell it under different labels. On eBay some of the first generation of this printer have been sold for $300. Retail is around $1200.00 US.
Its a decent printer to make parts. That being said, the NASA program being built around it (watch the videos) is not about printing parts for the ISS; rather its some NASA Education program.
After watching the videos that came out promoting this Made in space program I felt I'd seen this before somewhere. Then it hit me, the movie Armageddon. In that movie NASA spent a ton of money for bells and whistles to make an advanced drill :(
I honestly cannot figure out what your point is.
Forget the fruitless argument above; history is being made.
The first articles to be manufactured aboard an space station.
I hope the outcome will be better than for the gallium-arsenide crystal manufacturing experiments once carried out on the shuttles.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30549341
Nasa emails spanner to space station - it's started already... wow
1-There already is a certification process that Made In Space goes through for printing stuff on ISS.
2-The 3D printer has been a big success. I guarantee it will be used in the future. There are times when an improvised solution is needed. In the past, the solution is duct tape and flight manuals, which hardly are "certified" solutions. A 3D printer, well-characterized by their work right now and with an identical printer on the ground, is much better characterized than basically all of the adhoc solutions that have been used in space (Apollo 13, repairing the lunar rover fender, STS-120's cuff link, etc, etc etc... each ISS Expedition has stories of ad hoc repairs).
And here:
http://www.space.com/28095-3d-printer-space-station-ratchet-wrench.html
"The 3D printer aboard the International Space Station has wrapped up the first phase of its orbital test run by cranking out a ratchet wrench whose design was beamed up from Earth.
The wrench, along with the 19 other objects built by the orbiting 3D printer thus far, will travel to Earth early next year, where engineers will compare the objects with ground samples produced by the same machine before it launched, NASA officials said.
"We can't wait to get these objects home and put them through structural and mechanical testing," Quincy Bean, of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement. "We really won't know how well this process worked in space until we inspect the parts and complete these tests."
3-D printing in Space could be a major technology upset to the space industry. .. Once the satellite finishes production and checkout it is then transported to GEO or whatever orbit by a SEP tug or other capable tug...I dont think 3d printing is the enabling technology for that. In theory, you could send up feedstock of parts today to assemble and check out orbital assets. Printing by itself is not the enabler, as you cant print out a functioning GEO comsat anyway. It needs to be put together.
3-D printing in Space could be a major technology upset to the space industry.
Next year Made in Space is going to start trial manufacturing ZBLAN on the ISS.You are correct this could be a very profitable business case. If a single dedicated Dragon flight to the ISS per year carrying the ingots and empty spools ~(1.5mt) (cost to Made in Space $130M) and then returns with the finished filled spools of fiber they could make in profit in one year from $200M to $650M each year from a single production machine.
http://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/12662/Made-In-Space-to-Make-Fiber-Optics-in-Space.aspx
This is really cool because the material is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per kilogram - e.g.it could be wildly profitable even with today's launch costs.
https://sites.google.com/site/cmapproject/case-studies/exotic-glasses-and-fibers
By increasing the Dragon load to 3mt per flight and at a cheaper per flight price (reused 1st stage and reused propulsive landing D2) they could get the price per meter down to $30/m from for high quality fiber from the current cost of $3,000/m. This would change the demand for such fiber from a small quantity for use in just the lasers to transmission lines. By being able to consistently manufacture long high quality fiber at lengths of 15km they could create a new demand for the fiber in very large quantities greater the the amount of 25,000km per year value discussed above. At $30/m the revenue from fiber for D2 flights delivering 3mt each and 2 machine producing 50,000km would be reduced from the above values to only $1.5B but would be a growth yr-to-yr requiring more production machines and more Dragon flights. That $1.5B revenue minus the costs of D2 flights and the year rental of a BA330 ($650M) leaves a profit /yr of $355M (24% profit margin). No one else on Earth could compete with the price or be able to manufacture the quality or lengths of continuous fiber.QuoteYou are correct this could be a very profitable business case. If a single dedicated Dragon flight to the ISS per year carrying the ingots and empty spools ~(1.5mt) (cost to Made in Space $130M) and then returns with the finished filled spools of fiber they could make in profit in one year from $200M to $650M each year from a single production machine.
The added item here is no one else would be able to even come close to the quality of fibers or their continuous length for the cost. They could even undercut the normal Earth manufactured market putting them all out of business. At such profit levels and a general lowering of prices increasing the demand for more fiber they could lease a BA330 just to manufacture fiber. This could be easily a multi-Billion-$ Made in Space business.
A single machine producing 3km of fiber per hour could produce in one year 25,000km of fiber worth from $7.5B to $75B. Number of Dragon cargo flights to support this manufacturing rate at 1.5mt per flight would be 5.5 flights per year.
I think this is the type of commercialization that will really get the cost of access to space down. When the cost of accessing space becomes another cost of production, there will be a natural economic need to reduce that cost (and improve reliability) that will then allow other activities in space to be more viable.
Fiber produced per year | 300000 | kilometers/year |
Number of D2 cargo flights per year | 33 | flights/year |
Cost per D2 flight using reused 1st stage and D2 | $90M | SpaceX price/flight |
Total cost of all cargo flights per year | $2,970M | cargo cost /year |
Cost of BA330 rental per year | $650M | Bigelow rental price/year |
Cost of 6 continuous crew on orbit + transport per year | $192M | crew costs/year |
Wholesale price of fiber per meter | $15 | Wholesale price/meter |
Revenue from fiber sale per year | $4,500M | revenue/year |
Profit per year | $688M | profit/year |
profit margin | 15% |
Do we have enough surplus energy for this manufacturing proposed?The energy requirement looks to be the heating of the source material and then the cooling of the fiber. So to produce the amounts at the rates being discussed by MIS, it should not take much power in a % value of that available on ISS or even on a more power constrained BA330 module. These are small NAROO (no assembly required on orbit) rack mount boxes that are doing the work not some large built up system. To produce from 6 to 14 km of fiber a 2 kg block of source material is what is being brought to a melting point. It takes ~20Mj to melt the 2 kg block and that is equivelent to just ~6 kwh. Meaning to also cool it would require 12kwh to produce the entire fiber from the source block. If the unit only pulls 200w it would take ~60hours (2 1/2 days) to produce the complete fiber.
Made In Space: Manufacturing fiber optic cable could become the first space-based industry
MAY 4, 2017 BY KENDRA R CHAMBERLAIN
Made In Space has built what it calls a “miniature fiber-pulling machine” that’s about the size of a microwave oven, which will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) later this summer on SpaceX’s Dragon.
QuoteMade In Space: Manufacturing fiber optic cable could become the first space-based industry
MAY 4, 2017 BY KENDRA R CHAMBERLAIN
https://thedownlink.co/2017/05/04/made-in-space-manufacturing-fiber-optic-cable-could-become-the-first-space-based-industry/ (https://thedownlink.co/2017/05/04/made-in-space-manufacturing-fiber-optic-cable-could-become-the-first-space-based-industry/)
Includes:QuoteMade In Space has built what it calls a “miniature fiber-pulling machine” that’s about the size of a microwave oven, which will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) later this summer on SpaceX’s Dragon.
So CRS 12 I assume?
Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) Shield Installation: The crew ingressed the BEAM and installed a Radiation Environment Monitor (REM) shield onto the REM sensor. This shield is a 1.1 mm thick component produced by the 3D printer on the ISS. BEAM is an experimental expandable module attached to the ISS. Expandable habitats greatly decrease the amount of transport volume required for future space missions. These “expandables” weigh less and take up less room on a rocket than a traditional module while allowing additional space for living and working. They also provide protection from solar and cosmic radiation, space debris, and other contaminants. Crews traveling to the moon, Mars, asteroids, or other destinations could possibly use them as habitable structures.This was the first time that I had heard of the ISS crew printing a part to use on station instead of as a comparison to a ground-made part. Are others aware of other examples?
How much energy is needed in order to run the fiber making machine?Quote from one of my previous posts which answered this question:
Do we have enough surplus energy for this manufacturing proposed?The energy requirement looks to be the heating of the source material and then the cooling of the fiber. So to produce the amounts at the rates being discussed by MIS, it should not take much power in a % value of that available on ISS or even on a more power constrained BA330 module. These are small NAROO (no assembly required on orbit) rack mount boxes that are doing the work not some large built up system. To produce from 6 to 14 km of fiber a 2 kg block of source material is what is being brought to a melting point. It takes ~20Mj to melt the 2 kg block and that is equivelent to just ~6 kwh. Meaning to also cool it would require 12kwh to produce the entire fiber from the source block. If the unit only pulls 200w it would take ~60hours (2 1/2 days) to produce the complete fiber.
So the amount of power used by these boxes is almost trivial to the other power requirements of the ISS or other space-station such as a BA330.
A BTW that 6km of fiber at $300/m let alone the $3000/m price is worth $1.8M. At $3,000/m it is worth $18M.
Thanks for pointing out the article.
http://spaceangels.com/post/beam-celebrates-birthday-receives-3d-printed-radiation-shielding
Excellent article from Space Angels with lots of interesting links.
Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk
ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/29/2017
Posted on May 29, 2017 at 4:00 pm by HQ.
Manufacturing Device (MD): The Manufacturing Device failed to complete the 12 hour print of a Radiation Environment Monitoring shield on Friday and during a second attempt yesterday. The REM shield was to be installed in the BEAM during ingress later this week. The Made-In-Space team is assessing the anomaly. The MD – Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) enables the production of components on the ISS to meet both NASA and commercial objectives. Parts, entire experiments, and tools can be created on demand utilizing the AMF. The AMF is capable of producing parts using a wide variety of thermopolymers, including engineered plastics.
In-Space industrialization is just a small step away.
For large amounts a DragonLab dedicated flight could produce quite a lot of fiber per flight. I believe the data was that 1 kg of source equates to 3km of fiber. So for 1 mt of fiber manufactured in a 2mt plant would produce 3,000,000 meters of fiber. At a sale price of $100/meter (that is less than the current price for the worst quality fiber) the revenue would be $300M. The cost of the flight of both the Dragon2 and F9 (both of which are reused) at about $100M/flight results in $200M profit. Because of the enormous amount of fiber this represents is why I used just $100/m for this supper quality fiber instead of its value when very little of it is available of $3,000/m.
If I had used the $3,000/m the revenue from a single flight would be $3B!!!!!!!!!!!!
So there is a lot of room for high costs of space travel.
Once you get to bulk replacement of silica fibers the following is used to calculate the business model for the price of the ZBLAM. A ZBLAM fiber has less loss/m than silica requiring fewer repeaters. A ZBLAM fiber has 10X the data capability than a silica fiber. So even at 10X times the price of silica it is more cost advantageous on a $/bit basis to replace silica cables with ZBLAM cables to increase the cables data rate capability than to add more silica fibers when ZBLAM fibers are at <$20/m price. At $20/m that equates to for source and finished product weight of 1kg $60,000/kg ($20/m*3000m/kg=$60,000/kg). At current costs for launch of 3,000kg and its return at $150M, launch cost to revenue is $150M transport to and from orbit costs to $180M in revenue. In this case profit will be small as there will be other costs. As it stands currently with the use of ISS and costs of transport of the MIS hardware and its tending/maintenance/operation this low $/m value is not reachable. But lower the cost of transport and the business case starts to become stronger for bulk strands manufacture in space.In-Space industrialization is just a small step away.
For large amounts a DragonLab dedicated flight could produce quite a lot of fiber per flight. I believe the data was that 1 kg of source equates to 3km of fiber. So for 1 mt of fiber manufactured in a 2mt plant would produce 3,000,000 meters of fiber. At a sale price of $100/meter (that is less than the current price for the worst quality fiber) the revenue would be $300M. The cost of the flight of both the Dragon2 and F9 (both of which are reused) at about $100M/flight results in $200M profit. Because of the enormous amount of fiber this represents is why I used just $100/m for this supper quality fiber instead of its value when very little of it is available of $3,000/m.
If I had used the $3,000/m the revenue from a single flight would be $3B!!!!!!!!!!!!
So there is a lot of room for high costs of space travel.
I think the key consideration is scale and market size. Previous calculations about running a massive fiber production operation in space assume there is unlimited demand for this ultra-high quality fiber at current prices. Most likely there is not and the price is linked to the volume.
If a company wants to target that ultra-high quality fiber market, it will probably do small scale production on the ISS or in some other shared format.
If the goal is to create thousands+ km of this for applications where it is replacing an existing silica fiber, the price of the product should be more in line with existing costs. There is not some urgent life threatening need to replace all our fiber optics. But if the cost is comparable, upgrades will happen (or within reason at least). From looking online (assuming the # of fibers should be multiplied by the length) I see bulk fiber in the $1 to $2/meter range if calculating it per fiber not per cable.
Point is there is a need to understand the market size of the various sub-markets in terms of finished product.
So there might be a market for 5-10 kg of fiber spooling in space at prices that make it viable. But then order of magnitude cost reductions required to access markets with fiber demand in terms of tons. This all isn't necessarily a bad thing or to imply its impossible, just a reminder of natural market dynamics.
Sept. 21, 2017
Two for the Crew 3-D Design Challenge Seeks Students to Invent Multi-Use Tools
This fall, NASA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Foundation are challenging students to use their ingenuity to create a helpful tool that combines the functions of two objects being used by crew aboard the International Space Station. The national Future Engineers Two for the Crew Challenge provides an exciting opportunity for K-12 students to develop an innovative model intended to be 3-D printed by astronauts on the orbiting laboratory. Students will invent multi-use tools and customized equipment that can help astronauts with maintenance, medical, trash management, and the challenge of securing and storing items in microgravity.
Human exploration of the solar system is currently limited by the need to carry consumables, replace systems and parts, and use available materials. This is why building and maintaining things in space will be important for future missions. Students will learn about the advantages of in-space manufacturing and customization. This means that crew members can print items when they are needed, including specific parts for the unique space station environment.
Participants will explore concepts like mass and volume, while learning engineering and 3-D design skills. Submissions from K-12 students in the United States will be accepted online through Dec. 19 at www.futureengineers.org/twoforthecrew.
Winners will be announced on March 14, 2018.
The Two for the Crew Challenge is free for student participation. The challenge website provides educational information about space station crew tools and brainstorming resources that help students get started with creating their designs. The site also provides links to free 3-D design software.
Two for the Crew is the sixth in a series of space innovation challenges developed by Future Engineers and the ASME Foundation, with technical assistance from NASA.
Aug. 28, 2017
Full Circle: NASA to Demonstrate Refabricator to Recycle, Reuse, Repeat
In 2014, NASA made important progress toward the in-space manufacturing necessary for deep space exploration by “printing” tools in space using a 3-D printer on the International Space Station.
In 2018, the nation's space agency will take the next step toward a sustainable in-space manufacturing capability when it launches a machine that can not only print plastic parts, but can also recycle them back into reusable raw materials to make more and/or different parts.
The machine, coined the “Refabricator,” is a device that will accept plastic materials of various sizes and shapes and turn them in to the feedstock used to 3-D print items. The whole process happens in a single automated machine about the size of a dorm room refrigerator.
"When we begin launching humans to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, space will be at a premium," said Niki Werkheiser, manager of In-Space Manufacturing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where the device will be thoroughly tested before launching to the space station. "It simply won’t be feasible to send along replacement parts or tools for everything on the spacecraft, and resupplying from Earth is cost and time prohibitive. The Refabricator will be key in demonstrating a sustainable logistics model to fabricate, recycle, and reuse parts and waste materials.”
NASA awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract valued at approximately $750,000 to Tethers Unlimited Inc. of Seattle in April 2015, to build the recycling system.
“The Refabricator demonstration is a key advance toward our vision of implementing a truly sustainable, in-space manufacturing ecosystem,” said Rob Hoyt, CEO of TUI. “Astronauts could use this technology to manufacture and recycle food-safe utensils, and turn what is now inconvenient waste into feedstock to help build the next generation of space systems. We believe re-using the waste could reduce the cost and risks for NASA and private space exploration missions.”
The Refabricator will complete final flight certification testing at the Marshall Center in late 2017 and is slated to launch to station in April 2018. Almost all operations will be remotely commanded and controlled from Marshall’s Payload Operations Integration Center – mission control for science on the space station -- and TUI. The ability to remotely manage the process can save astronaut time and provide greater autonomy for future spaceflight missions.
"The space station is the ideal proving ground for this important technology," said Werkheiser. "Astronauts are already living and working in space, a mere 250 miles above Earth. Those crew members are helping make discoveries to benefit humans around the world while testing the important technology, life support systems and medical breakthroughs that will enable long-duration space exploration by humans."
The Refabricator will be the first integrated recycler-manufacturer in orbit and may eventually be able to recycle and print, using metal as well as plastic, with very little monitoring from the station crew members. By 2020, NASA wants to create a Fabrication Laboratory, or FabLab, to test an integrated, multi-material, on-demand system.
"The FabLab would allow astronauts to select what they want or need from a catalogue of parts and then simply push a button to have it made," said Werkheiser.
This project is an ideal example of how government and small businesses can effectively work together. In this example, NASA and TUI worked hand-in-hand in the rapid development of a brand new technology for in-space applications. NASA provided guidance and insight on how to design the system to successfully meet the stringent space flight certification, safety, and operations constraints.
NASA continues to leverage open competition, including crowd-sourcing, Small Business Innovation Research awards, Broad Agency Announcements, and challenge competitions, to collaborate and meet space needs for space exploration.
For more information about the Small Business Innovation Research program, visit: https://sbir.nasa.gov
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-media-to-upcoming-space-station-cargo-launch
Looks like the ZBLAN printer is going up on CRS-13 in December
ISS Daily Summary Report – 4/06/2018
Made in Space Fiber Optics (MSFO): The crew set up the MSFO locker and cables in preparation for 3D print operations in the Manufacturing Device. This investigation demonstrates the merits of manufacturing fiber optic filaments in microgravity.
Today’s Planned Activities
Made In Space Fiber Optics Locker and Cable Setup
EXOTIC GLASS FIBERS FROM SPACE
THE RACE TO MANUFACTURE ZBLAN
BY HAYLIE KASAP, CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
Recent (December) article on ZBLAN with info about experiments/trials on ISS etc:Three different companies working on ZBLAN production in microgravity.QuoteEXOTIC GLASS FIBERS FROM SPACE
THE RACE TO MANUFACTURE ZBLAN
BY HAYLIE KASAP, CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zblan/
Edit to add: article attached
Recent (December) article on ZBLAN with info about experiments/trials on ISS etc:Three different companies working on ZBLAN production in microgravity.QuoteEXOTIC GLASS FIBERS FROM SPACE
THE RACE TO MANUFACTURE ZBLAN
BY HAYLIE KASAP, CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zblan/
Edit to add: article attached
This is looking like product that open up microgravity manufacturing. We now need low cost unmanned or partially manned station to do robotic manufacturing. Being unmanned the safety level for visiting vehicles can be lot lower resulting cheaper vehicle.
Having a space tug based at station would allow reuseable US to be used as supply vehicles. Space tug rendevous with US and swaps containers.
http://www.spacenewsfeed.com/index.php/news/2967-made-in-space-announces-manufacturing-system-for-smallsat-interferometry
"
This technology, known as Optimast-SCI (Structurally Connected Interferometer) equips an ESPA-class small satellite with the company’s extended structure manufacturing technology. It enables the deployment of a 20-meter optical boom interferometer with modular internal optics bench developed with Lowell Observatory, a world leader in astronomical optical interferometry.
"
The picture in article has camera at each end of boom. I'm guessing if more cameras are added along boom they get better resolution.
The other possibility is to make mulitple booms resulting in spokes of a wheel pattern with dozens of cameras.
NB 20m is only their initial production model. They should able to scale up to lot larger eg +100m booms.
Would interested to here from expert on this.
NASA Video
Published on 12 Jul 2019
Made In Space, Inc. of Mountain View, California, will demonstrate the ability of a small spacecraft, called Archinaut One, to manufacture and assemble spacecraft components in low-Earth orbit. Archinaut One is expected to launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand no earlier than 2022. Once it’s positioned in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft will 3D-print two beams that extend 32 feet (10 meters) out from each side of the spacecraft. As manufacturing progresses, each beam will unfurl two solar arrays that generate up to five times more power than traditional solar panels on spacecraft of similar size. The in-space technology demonstration marks the start of the second phase of a partnership established through NASA’s Tipping Point solicitation. The public-private partnership combines NASA resources with an industry contribution of at least 25% of the program costs, shepherding the development of critical space technologies while also saving the agency, and American taxpayers, money.
Credit: Made In Space
July 12, 2019
RELEASE 19-056
NASA Funds Demo of 3D-Printed Spacecraft Parts Made, Assembled in Orbit
NASA has awarded a $73.7 million contract to Made In Space, Inc. of Mountain View, California, to demonstrate the ability of a small spacecraft, called Archinaut One, to manufacture and assemble spacecraft components in low-Earth orbit. The in-space robotic manufacturing and assembly technologies could be important for America’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
The contract is the start of the second phase of a partnership established through NASA’s Tipping Point solicitation. The public-private partnership combines NASA resources with an industry contribution of at least 25% of the program costs, shepherding the development of critical space technologies while also saving the agency, and American taxpayers, money.
Archinaut One is expected to launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand no earlier than 2022. Once it’s positioned in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft will 3D-print two beams that extend 32 feet (10 meters) out from each side of the spacecraft. As manufacturing progresses, each beam will unfurl two solar arrays that generate as much as five times more power than traditional solar panels on spacecraft of similar size.
“In-space robotic manufacturing and assembly are unquestionable game-changers and fundamental capabilities for future space exploration,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “By taking the lead in the development of this transformative technology, the United States will maintain its leadership in space exploration as we push forward with astronauts to the Moon and then on to Mars.”
The potential of these technologies is profound and includes such benefits as:
Enabling remote, in-space construction of communications antennae, large-scale space telescopes and other complex structures;
Enabling small satellites to deploy large surface area power systems and reflectors that currently are reserved for larger satellites;
Eliminating spacecraft volume limits imposed by rockets; and,
Avoiding the inherent risk of spacewalks by performing some tasks currently completed by astronauts.
Made In Space began working on Archinaut as a ground demonstration in 2016 and, just a year later, successfully 3D-printed structural beams in a unique NASA facility that mimics the conditions of space. In a thermal vacuum chamber at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, they were able to prove the printing equipment and printed hardware can withstand the pressure, temperature, and other rigors of space.
The Archinaut team includes Made In Space, Northrop Grumman of Falls Church, Virginia, Ames, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate matures groundbreaking technologies to extend mission capabilities as well as government and commercial opportunities in space. The program is based at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
To learn more about NASA's investments in space technology, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech
-end-
Recent (December) article on ZBLAN with info about experiments/trials on ISS etc:Three different companies working on ZBLAN production in microgravity.QuoteEXOTIC GLASS FIBERS FROM SPACE
THE RACE TO MANUFACTURE ZBLAN
BY HAYLIE KASAP, CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zblan/
Edit to add: article attached
This is looking like product that open up microgravity manufacturing. We now need low cost unmanned or partially manned station to do robotic manufacturing. Being unmanned the safety level for visiting vehicles can be lot lower resulting cheaper vehicle.
Having a space tug based at station would allow reuseable US to be used as supply vehicles. Space tug rendevous with US and swaps containers.
Physical Optics Corporation (POC) is pleased to announce an SBIR Phase III award of over $4M for the production investigation of optical fibers in zero-gravity. This past April, POC had the honor to participate in its first space endeavor sending an engineering prototype to meet the International Space Station (ISS).
http://www.spacenewsfeed.com/index.php/news/2967-made-in-space-announces-manufacturing-system-for-smallsat-interferometry
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This technology, known as Optimast-SCI (Structurally Connected Interferometer) equips an ESPA-class small satellite with the company’s extended structure manufacturing technology. It enables the deployment of a 20-meter optical boom interferometer with modular internal optics bench developed with Lowell Observatory, a world leader in astronomical optical interferometry.
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The picture in article has camera at each end of boom. I'm guessing if more cameras are added along boom they get better resolution.
The other possibility is to make mulitple booms resulting in spokes of a wheel pattern with dozens of cameras.
NB 20m is only their initial production model. They should able to scale up to lot larger eg +100m booms.
Would interested to here from expert on this.
Given they 3d print boom, adding cameras every few centimetres shouldn't be problem.
Is there any advantage in adding on other axis.?
This is 3d printing demo for repairing solar panels. Flying Cygnus CRS12.
Going of this extract I'd be weary of any lunches provided by NanoRacks.
"our payload will withstand the lunch environment given by our lunch provider (NanoRacks)".
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2019/all2019/155/
FOMS “successfully completed the calibration of the manufacturing hardware and demonstrated the first optical fiber manufacturing on orbit,” FOMS Principal Investigator Dmitry Starodubov announced at the 6th Workshop on Specialty Optical Fiber and Their Applications in Charleston, South Carolina. “The microgravity fiber demonstrated better uniformity than the fiber produced on the ground. This unique achievement is providing the basis for government and commercial utilization of our revolutionary space manufacturing platform.”
What ever happened to Made in Space? They had some pretty grand plans.
Something similar had been considered for Dragon. SS would had huge capability.