



Slipping the bonds of gravity is not cheap, so NASA has to account for every bit of mass it sends into space. Once a mission is underway, the crew of any manned mission needs to be able to keep things in working order, which means replacement parts and equipment are usually part of the mass that gets shot into the heavens. However, what happens if you need an extra thingamabob, but NASA only packed extra whatsits? That’s a problem NASA hopes to fix by perfecting 3D printing in space, and now astronauts have successfully created the first 3D printed part on the International Space Station.

The first 3D-printed object was created aboard the International Space Station yesterday, and that object was, like a high-tech ouroboros, a part for the 3D printer that made it. The object was a faceplate for the 3D printer's extruder casing, and had the Made In Space (the company that worked with NASA to build and design the 3D space printer) and NASA logos on it

The part will be returned to Earth at a later date for future study, and I'm sure in the meantime the crew will start sneakily printing ukuleles and silly straws and sex toys to sell on the lucrative "Space-crafted" section of Etsy.

About Unknown