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By European Space Agency
Image: ESA’s Metal 3D Printer has produced the first metal part ever created in space.
The technology demonstrator, built by Airbus and its partners, was launched to the International Space Station at the start of this year, where ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen installed the payload in the European Drawer Rack of ESA’s Columbus module. In August, the printer successfully printed the first 3D metal shape in space.
This product, along with three others planned during the rest of the experiment, will return to Earth for quality analysis: two of the samples will go to ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands (ESTEC), another will go to ESA’s astronaut training centre in Cologne (EAC) for use in the LUNA facility, and the fourth will go to the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
As exploration of the Moon and Mars will increase mission duration and distance from Earth, resupplying spacecraft will be more challenging. Additive manufacturing in space will give autonomy for the mission and its crew, providing a solution to manufacture needed parts, to repair equipment or construct dedicated tools, on demand during the mission, rather than relying on resupplies and redundancies.
ESA’s technology demonstrator is the first to successfully print a metal component in microgravity conditions. In the past, the International Space Station has hosted plastic 3D printers.
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By European Space Agency
Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite captured this image over Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 2 September, just ahead of the Sentinel-2C launch. View the full article
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A prototype of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser, currently in development at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, is displayed alongside various food pouches during a demonstration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA/David DeHoyos NASA engineers are working hard to ensure no astronaut goes hungry on the Artemis IV mission.
When international teams of astronauts live on Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon, they’ll need innovative gadgets like the Mini Potable Water Dispenser. Vaguely resembling a toy water soaker, it manually dispenses water for hygiene bags, to rehydrate food, or simply to drink. It is designed to be compact, lightweight, portable and manual, making it ideal for Gateway’s relatively small size and remote location compared to the International Space Station closer to Earth.
The team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama leading the development of the dispenser understands that when it comes to deep space cuisine, the food astronauts eat is so much more than just fuel to keep them alive.
“Food doesn’t just provide body nourishment but also soul nourishment,” said Shaun Glasgow, project manager at Marshall. “So ultimately this device will help provide that little piece of soul nourishment. After a long day, the crew can float back and enjoy some pasta or scrambled eggs, a small sense of normalcy in a place far from home.”
As NASA continues to innovate and push the boundaries of deep space exploration, devices like the compact, lightweight dispenser demonstrate a blend of practicality and ingenuity that will help humanity chart its path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
An engineer demonstrates the use of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser by rehydrating a food pouch during a testing session at Johnson Space Center on June 6, 2024. This compact, lightweight dispenser is designed to help astronauts prepare meals in deep space.NASA/David DeHoyos A close-up view of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser prototype during a testing demonstration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on June 6, 2024.NASA/David DeHoyos NASA food scientists rehydrate a food pouch during a test of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser at Johnson Space Center on June 6, 2024. NASA/David DeHoyos A NASA food scientist captures video of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser during testing at Johnson Space Center.NASA/David DeHoyos Matt Rowell, an engineer from the Marshall Space Flight Center demonstrates the Mini Potable Water Dispenser to NASA food scientists during a testing session.NASA/David DeHoyos Project manager Shaun Glasgow (right) demonstrates the Mini Potable Water Dispenser. NASA/David DeHoyos Brett Montoya, a lead space architect in the Center for Design and Space Architecture at Johnson Space Center, rehydrates a package of food using the Mini Potable Water Dispenser.NASA/David DeHoyos Learn More about Gateway Facebook logo @NASAGateway @NASA_Gateway Instagram logo @nasaartemis Share
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Last Updated Sep 04, 2024 EditorBriana R. ZamoraContactBriana R. Zamorabriana.r.zamora@nasa.govLocationJohnson Space Center Related Terms
Artemis Earth's Moon Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Gateway Program Gateway Space Station Johnson Space Center Marshall Space Flight Center Explore More
2 min read Gateway: Energizing Exploration
Discover the cutting-edge technology powering Gateway, humanity's first lunar space station.
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A fisheye lens attached to an electronic still camera was used to capture this image of NASA astronaut Don Pettit.NASA Science ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs.
Pettit, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch to the orbiting laboratory in September 2024. In preparation for his fourth spaceflight, read about previous “science of opportunity” experiments Pettit performed during his free time with materials readily available to the crew or included in his personal kit.
Freezing Ice in Space
Thin ice under polarized light frozen aboard the International Space Station.NASA Have you ever noticed a white bubble inside the ice in your ice tray at home? This is trapped air that accumulates in one area due to gravity. Pettit took this knowledge, access to a -90° Celsius freezer aboard the space station, and an open weekend to figure out how water freezes in microgravity compared to on Earth. This photo uses polarized light to show thin frozen water and the visible differences from the ice we typically freeze here on Earth, providing more insight into physics concepts in microgravity.
Space Cup
NASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates how surface tension, wetting, and container shape hold coffee in the space cup.NASA Microgravity affects even the most mundane tasks, like sipping your morning tea. Typically, crews drink beverages from a specially sealed bag with a straw. Using an overhead transparency film, Pettit invented the prototype of the Capillary Beverage, or Space Cup. The cup uses surface tension, wetting, and container shape to mimic the role of gravity in drinking on Earth, making drinking beverages in space easier to consume and showing how discoveries aboard station can be used to design new systems.
Planetary Formation
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Astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates a mixture of coffee grounds and sugar sticking together in microgravity to understand planetary formation. NASA Using materials that break into very small particles, such as table salt, sugar, and coffee, Pettit experimented to understand planetary formation. A crucial early step in planet formation is the aggregation or clumping of tiny particles, but scientists do not fully understand this process. Pettit placed different particulate mixtures in plastic bags, filled them with air, thoroughly shook the bags, and observed that the particles clumped within seconds due to what appears to be an electrostatic process. Studying the behavior of tiny particles in microgravity may provide valuable insight into how material composition, density, and turbulence play a role in planetary formation.
Orbital Motion
Charged water particles orbit a knitting needle, showing electrostatic processes in space. NASA Knitting needles made of different materials arrived aboard station as personal crew items. Pettit electrically charged the needles by rubbing each one with paper. Then, he released charged water from a Teflon syringe and observed the water droplets orbit the knitting needle, demonstrating electrostatic orbits in microgravity. The study was later repeated in a simulation that included atmospheric drag, and the 3D motion accurately matched the orbits seen in the space station demonstration. These observations could be analogous to the behavior of charged particles in Earth’s magnetic field and prove useful in designing future spacecraft systems.
Astrophotography
Top: NASA astronaut Don Pettit photographed in the International Space Station cupola surrounded by cameras. Bottom: Star trails photographed by NASA astronaut Don Pettit in March of 2012.NASA An innovative photographer, Pettit has used time exposure, multiple cameras, infrared, and other techniques to contribute breathtaking images of Earth and star trails from the space station’s unique viewpoint. These photos contribute to a database researchers use to understand Earth’s changing landscapes, and this imagery can inspire the public’s interest in human spaceflight.
Christine Giraldo
International Space Station Research Communications Team
NASA’s Johnson Space Center
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By NASA
Joseph Ladner stands at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where he leads a team managing the budgets to fund the nation’s premier propulsion test site. NASA/Danny Nowlin Joseph Ladner’s experiences working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, motivate him to “pay it forward” so more people can be a part of something great.
“It is exciting to be at a place like NASA Stennis that continues to reinvent itself to stay relevant,” Ladner said. “You can do just about anything you can imagine with a workforce committed to its success.”
The Gulfport, Mississippi, resident is the lead budget analyst in the NASA Stennis Office of the Chief Financial Officer. His team manages budgets that fund the nation’s premier propulsion test site.
Ladner can point to three pivotal moments propelling him to a career with NASA. The first came by attending ASTRO CAMP at NASA Stennis every summer as a child. The thrilling experiences of launching paper rockets and conducting science experiments left him with the question, “How do I get to work there?”
The answer came into focus years later. Much like launching paper rockets, Ladner’s career started at ground level before reaching higher heights.
He started on the lowest end of the General Schedule pay scale as a GS-1 clerk for the Naval Oceanographic Office, located at NASA Stennis, while attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
A second pivotal moment also came during this time. The Saucier, Mississippi, native credits mentor Pamela Stenum for putting him on a career path in procurement so he could use the math and analytical skills that came natural to him.
The clerk role, expected to be only for one semester, continued through Ladner’s studies at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
“I literally came in from the bottom, and someone saw potential in me,” Ladner said. “She realized I was a hard worker and that I cared about the product I was putting out.”
The third, and most profound, moment leading Ladner to a NASA career happened when the space shuttle Columbia orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure during return to Earth.
“I will never forget standing in the crowd that morning waiting for the launch of Columbia (in 2003) and hearing the commander over the loudspeakers thank everyone for the efforts to get them to this point and saying farewell to his family,” Ladner said. “No one knew it would ultimately be the crew’s last farewell. That tragic incident left me with a greater sense that there are many opportunities, but life is short. That thought and NASA’s return to flight mission left me with a desire to be part of NASA.”
Ladner started his career with the agency two years later and has worked inspired ever since. His role as lead budget analyst contributes to the Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration of the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.
His job currently involves navigating challenges of increased costs and reduced budgets. From Ladner’s perspective, the challenges present opportunities for innovation and new ideas.
“Knowing my work is part of a greater cause impacting the Artemis Generation that could make a difference to society is the best thing about working at NASA Stennis,” Ladner said. “There is some awe and wonder about working at NASA, so it is neat to say you are a part of that.”
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