A 3-D printer sent to the International Space Station offers the possibility of turning the orbital laboratory into a space machine shop. NASA awarded a contract to California-based Made In Space Incorporated to build the first 3-D printer for operation in microgravity. Researchers hope the printer will operate normally in space and allow astronauts to produce needed spare parts just as they would be made on Earth. If successful, the 3-D printing in zero-G technology demonstration, led out of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunts-ville, Alabama, will be the first demonstration of additive manufacturing in microgravity.
展开▼
机译：发送到国际空间站的3D打印机可以将轨道实验室变成空间机器车间。 NASA与位于加利福尼亚的Made In Space Incorporated签订了合同，为其制造第一台可在微重力下运行的3-D打印机。研究人员希望打印机能够在太空中正常运行，并允许宇航员生产所需的零件，就像在地球上制造的一样。如果成功的话，在阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔市NASA马歇尔太空飞行中心领导下的零重力技术3D打印演示将是微重力增材制造的首个演示。
展开▼
