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NASA has awarded Silicon Valley startup company Made in Space, $73.7 million to give it's "Archinaut One" in space assembly craft an in orbit test run in 2022.
In a statement Friday, NASA announced the award and stated
NASA has awarded [the] 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.
Space based manufacturing comes with multiple benefits including:
- 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.
Archinaut has already completed testing in a NASA thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) at the Ames Research Center that emulates space conditions (albeit in a gravity field.) The company has also sent two 3d printers to the ISS (working without gravity), one of which tested manufacture of ZBLAN, an exotic (and very expensive) Flouride glass optical fiber that is difficult to produce on Earth, but much simpler in the microgravity environment on the ISS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 14 2019, @04:40PM (6 children)
I see lot of difficulties with 3D printing in low gravity environment or no gravity at all environment.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by leftover on Sunday July 14 2019, @05:17PM (5 children)
I think the lack of gravity would open many opportunities. No need for support structures under long spans probably foremost. None of the major approaches depend on gravity to operate. Material self-adhesion is the norm. It might take some tinkering to make the new liquid layer stay beside the window for optical solidification but maintaining a static charge between them could do that.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mhajicek on Sunday July 14 2019, @11:56PM (4 children)
I wouldn't say none; powder beds require gravity.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by leftover on Monday July 15 2019, @12:26AM (3 children)
I did think about this case. It does seem to dovetail with gravity in atmosphere but I wonder if it would in vacuum plus microgravity. New layers of powder are squeegeed onto the previous layer. What would make them want to leave? A net static charge would be messy, certainly, but the same charge on the new powder and a close cover layer seems like it would help. Do not have either microgravity or a free vacuum handy at the moment ...
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 3, Informative) by mhajicek on Monday July 15 2019, @12:34AM (2 children)
Same charge would repel, not attract. Any micro vibration would send the powder flying and make a mess.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Monday July 15 2019, @02:45AM (1 child)
Make the bottom of the tank porous and suck air through it. It might be a bit fiddly to set up and very susceptible to disturbances while printing but it should keep the powder in the tank.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by leftover on Monday July 15 2019, @04:06PM
An attractive approach! No flipping between atm and vacuum. The 'fines' from that -ing powder are very small, will need good containment and filters. All testable at 1G.
mhajicek I was referring to using static repulsion between the top layer of powder and a conductive cover sheet, while the rest of the powder bed was coherent by way of quantum entanglement. 8^)
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.