Created by Made in Space, a Silicon Valley start-up, NASA’s new toaster sized 3D printer is unique in that it’s designed to work in the gravity-free environment of space. Over the course of the last 3 years, Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made in Space, and his team have engineered and tested this unique 3D printer.
According to Andrew Filo, who consulted with NASA on the project, "Any time we realize we can 3D print something in space, it's like Christmas". Filo continued, "[With 3D printers] You can get rid of concepts like rationing, scarce or irreplaceable."
Adding that capability to the Space Station orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth is nothing short of a game changer. However, NASA isn’t just satisfied with having a 3D printer aboard the ISS. Last month the Agency awarded Washington State’s Bothell a $500,000 grant to develop 3D printers and robots to build antennas and solar powered generators for use in space by 2020.
Given that a number of international and private space programs have set their sights on manned missions to the moon, I can imagine 3D printed architecture dotting the lunar surface by the early 2020s.
As for the first object that will be printed in space, Kemmers’ lips are sealed. “It's not something we're discussing publicly right now," Kemmers said.
Whatever it might be, one day it’ll end up in a museum.
Image Courtesy of NASA