Crew members will get a printing machine late next year

Nov 13, 2013 11:01 GMT  ·  By

Next summer, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will take another step into the future, with the arrival of the first-ever three-dimensional printer to make its way into space. The instrument will be used in a variety of ways, though the full extent of its capabilities will only be determined as astronauts begin using it. 

The most important application for the 3D printer is building tools and materials that the ISS crew members will be able to use in space. All that is required for this process is the tool itself, plus computer software wherein astronauts can model the instruments they need.

Officials at NASA say that this device is the first step towards the creation of the famous Star Trek replicator, an instrument capable of producing both spare parts and food. The 3D printer Made in Space designed for NASA will not be capable of synthesizing food, but it will create replacement parts.

The arrival of the 3D printer in space will represent the result of a joint project between the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and California-based company Made in Space (MIS).

“The 3D printer that we're going to fly on space station will actually be the first-ever 3D printer in space. It is the first step toward [the 'Star Trek' replicator],” said MSFC 3D Print Project Manager Niki Werkheiser, in a NASA video posted on the Web on October 30.

MIS officials say that the challenges associated with creating a printer capable of working in microgravity were immense, but well worth exceeding. The company tested its devices during parabolic flights, which offer several moments of weightlessness between ascents and descents.

Unlike other 3D printers, the instrument MIS will send to the ISS will be able to use substances as a source material. Usually, such printers are designed to work with a single class of materials, such as plastics, clays or ceramics, Space reports.

“We're starting with plastic with this first printer, but we will be moving to metals and other types of materials,” Werkheiser said in the video. The instrument is scheduled to make its way into space in August 2014.

In addition to improving the workflow of ISS astronauts, 3D printers will be used for other applications as well. NASA scientists say that these instruments are absolutely necessary technologies for future long-term space exploration missions.