International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with additive manufacturing or 3-D printing. Wilmore installed the printer on Nov. 17, 2014, and helped crews on the ground with the first print on Nov. 25, 2014. (Photo Credit: NASA)
3D printing is officially out of this world: astronauts aboard the International Space Station used the new onboard 3D printer to print a replacement part, creating a faceplate for the printhead. This marks the first time an object has been manufactured off of Earth.
The Made in Space manufactured printer arrived on the station just over a week ago aboard a SpaceX resupply mission. The intent is to be able to create replacement parts rather than waiting for resupply missions to bring them. The astronauts first made small test prints, called coupons, to make sure the machine was properly calibrated.
The faceplate will be sent back down to Earth for analysis. In the meantime, the crew will continue to print other objects, testing the capabilities of the printer. If the technology is successful, it could provide an important stepping stone toward deep space missions where resupplies aren't an option.
Via NBC News.
