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WSU can print 3D parts from moon rock to help astronauts in a jam (video)

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WSU can print 3D parts from moon rock to help astronauts in a jam video

It was only a matter of time before 3D printers went to other worlds, really. Following a NASA line of questioning, Washington State University has determined that it's possible to print 3D objects from moon rock. Researchers learned that simulated moon material behaves like silica and can be shaped into 3D objects by melting it with a laser, whether it's to form new objects (like the ugly cylinders above) or to patch objects together. Would-be assemblers could also introduce additive materials to vary the composition on demand. No, the results aren't as pretty as certain 3D creations, but they could be vital for future missions to Mars or the Moon: astronauts could fix equipment, or build new parts, without either an elaborate process or waiting for supplies from Earth. Now all we need are the extraterrestrial missions to take advantage of WSU's ideas.

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Via: Gizmag, NBCNews

Source: WSU, Emerald

NASA building Space Launch System with laser melting, adapts 3D printing for the skies (video)

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NASA building Space Launch System with precise laser melting to speed design, ratchet up the cool factor

As we know it, 3D printing is usually confined to small-scale projects like headphones. NASA is ever so slightly more ambitious. It's using a closely related technique from Concept Laser, selective laser melting, to build elements of its Space Launch System on a pace that wouldn't be feasible with traditional methods. By firing brief, exact laser pulses at metal powder, Concept Laser's CAD system creates solid metal parts that are geometrically complex but don't need to be welded together. The technique saves the money and time that would normally be spent on building many smaller pieces, but it could be even more vital for safety: having monolithic components reduces the points of failure that could bring the rocket down. We'll have a first inkling of how well laser melting works for NASA when the SLS' upper-stage J-2X engine goes through testing before the end of 2012, and the printed parts should receive their ultimate seal of approval with a first flight in 2017.

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NASA building Space Launch System with laser melting, adapts 3D printing for the skies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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