In 2014, American astronauts for the first time printed a tool -- a ratchet wrench -- using a design file sent from NASA on the ground to the 3D printer spinning about in space.
The feat was straight of visions of Star Trek's replicator -- and it was only the first step to much larger miracles in space. Here's what's happening now and how 3D printing is changing everything about the future of space travel.
3D Printing Overcomes Zero Gravity
You may have heard that 3D printers can print food, but did you know that printing food in space overcomes a plating and serving problem too?
"Unlike packaged food that floats in zero-gravity conditions, 3D printed food can be neatly formed and ordered," said Anjan Contractor, CEO of BeeHex, who won a NASA grant for 3D printing pizza fit for deep-space missions.
While the astronauts still have to wear clunky anchor boots to stay in place, their pizza won't.
The lack of gravity makes it hard to use a 3D printer in space. For one thing, you need the object you're printing -- whatever that object is -- to stay together as it is printing and to stay aligned with the printer nozzle or else you get printer mush.
That's on top of the usual 3D printing problems. For example, if the object you're printing is too far from the nozzle, it will collapse in the middle of printing. If it's too close, the nozzle will clog as the object doesn't have room to clear the end of the nozzle after each layer is printed. Sometimes -- a lot of times -- you can't unjam the nozzle -- ever.
Personal Butler and Chef
One of the most overlooked benefits of 3D printing in space is the ability to personalize products. Anything and everything an astronaut might need can be customized. Maybe the astronaut needs a bigger or smaller wrench than the one NASA printed. Done! Maybe the astronaut needs clothes that fit exact measurements or a special diet.
"3D printing provides dietary benefits as well," BeeHex's Contractor told TechNewsWorld. "3D printing fit for space missions typically includes a personalized nutrition regimen that can be tailored according to each passenger's needs."
Imagine all the things NASA doesn't have to pack in a spaceship because they can be printed. What about printer ink or materials -- will they have to be loaded on the ship? Not necessarily.
3D Printing in Space, of Space
"In the future, material mined from defunct satellites or even asteroids could be used for production in space," said Tyler Benster, general partner at Asimov Ventures.
"When it comes to planets, the applications are even greater and more speculative. Habitats could be printed from a binder and the natural sand or terrain. Many common goods could be produced as necessary," he told TechNewsWorld.
Sorry, FedEx and UPS, but it appears the sky is the limit for overnight deliveries. 3D printers can make do with the materials at hand.
"Right now, every manned launch has to have every conceivable tool and part the astronauts could need while in space," said Liam Ginty of Voices From L5" podcast.
"In the future this could be reduced to bags of raw materials and only mission-critical supplies," he told TechNewsWorld.
Recycling -- and Creating -- Waste
That means just about any material at hand. Already 3D printers on Earth are producing homes out of construction waste or recycled materials.
Soon 3D printers in space will be able to recycle things aboard a spacecraft that are no longer needed or waste from construction and other processes on an alien planet.
However, 3D printers themselves create waste.
The "main cons include dealing with waste and aerosol byproducts of common 3D printing methods," Asimov Ventures' Benster said.
The trimmings and general product cleanup also need to be dealt with. Yes, many 3D printed products need a little trimming
Credit: TechNewsWorld
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