We have recently heard about the first ever three-dimensional printer, which was sent by the US space agency NASA to the International Space Station (ISS). And now, here is a piece of good news that clearly illustrates the numerous benefits of the 3D- printer for both scientists on the Earth and those on space station.
The reports suggest that NASA and 3D printer developer ‘Made in Space’ has sent an email with a unique attachment of a ratcheting socket wrench to astronaut Barry Wilmore.
With the emailed hardware, the astronauts on the ISS created a wrench using the 3D- printer with the help of the instructions that was also mailed by the ground team.
“We had overheard ISS Commander Barry Wilmore (who goes by “Butch”) mention over the radio that he needed one, so we designed one in CAD and sent it up to him faster than a rocket ever could have,” Made In Space founder Mike Chen said.
The delivery of items, including the experimental products, to the ISS was very difficult. If the astronauts working aboard the space station required something that was unavailable aboard the ISS, they were forced to wait several months for the next shuttle to arrive and deliver their items.
But after the advent of 3D printing, experimenting and exploring the celestial facts have become easy for the astronauts. Now, what they all need is to get emailed attachments from the engineers and scientists on the ground. As soon as they receive a design of whatever they require from the ground team, the astronauts on the ISS can simply print it into the 3D printer and start its immediate use.
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