SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

A 3D printer and experimental "gecko grippers" [theguardian.com] have been sent on a recent supply mission to the International Space Station:

A rocket loaded with science experiments and supplies for the International Space Station blasted off from Florida on Tuesday. The Cygnus capsule contains food, science experiments and equipment, including a 3D printer to build tools and experimental non-stick grippers modelled on the feet of gecko lizards.

The printer works by heating plastic, metal or other materials into streams that are layered on top of each other to create three-dimensional objects. The experimental gripper uses a new kind of adhesive that mimics the way gecko lizards cling to surfaces without falling. It aims to test a method of attaching objects in the weightless environment of space. Nasa is looking at using robots with the "gecko grippers" to attach sensors and other instruments on to and inside satellites.

From Spaceflight Insider [spaceflightinsider.com]:

A ULA Atlas V rocket, in the 401 configuration, caused windows to rattle and car alarms to go off for miles around the Space Coast as the booster and S.S. Rick Husband Cygnus spacecraft ferried an estimated 7,756 lbs (3,518 kg) of cargo on its way to the International Space Station – the largest payload the spacecraft has sent aloft so far. Orbital ATK [orbitalatk.com] and United Launch Alliance [ulalaunch.com] sent the fifth mission – under the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract Orbital ATK has with NASA – on its way in spectacular fashion in the late evening hours of Tuesday, March 22.

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