Tag Archives: performance

Stratasys to test 3D printed material on Moon – Aerospace Manufacturing

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Stratasys has announced that it will provide 3D printed materials for an upcoming lunar mission to test their performance on the surface of the Moon.

The experiments are part of Aegis Aerospace, Inc.s first Space Science & Technology Evaluation Facility mission (SSTEF-1). SSTEF is a commercial space testing service, developed by Aegis Aerospace in Houston, Texas under NASAs Tipping Point programme, to provide R&D services on the lunar surface. The SSTEF-1 project focuses on technology development for space infrastructure and capabilities for the Moon and near-earth space. The Stratasys experiments are sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corporation.

In this Moon mission, Stratasys will provide 3D printed samples that will be brought to the lunar surface by an unmanned lander in a carrier structure 3D printed by Stratasys. Three materials will be the focus of two different experiments led by Northrop Grumman.

The first experiment assesses the performance of a sample coupon part made with Stratasys Antero 800NA FDM filament filled with tungsten. Antero 800NA is a high-performance PEKK-based thermoplastic with excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and low outgassing characteristics. Adding tungsten is intended to provide shielding against harmful radiation such as gamma rays or x-rays.

The second passive experiment is designed to see how 3D printed materials perform in space. It will include Antero 840CN03 FDM filament, which features ESD properties for use with electronics and was used on the Orion spacecraft. The experiment will also include a new ESD photopolymer manufactured by Stratasys partner Henkel for use with Stratasys Origin One 3D printers and designed for high-heat environments. This experiment will subject coupon samples of the 3D printed materials to Moon dust, low pressure that can lead to outgassing, and the rapid temperature swings that result from virtually no atmosphere on the Moon.

Additive manufacturing is an important technology for space missions where every ounce of weight matters and high performance is essential, said chief industrial business officer, Rich Garrity. This set of experiments will help us understand how to fully leverage 3D printing to keep people and equipment safe as we travel to the Moon and beyond.

Parts will be brought to the lunar surface by an unmanned lander in a Stratasys 3D printed carrier structure made from ULTEM 9085 thermoplastic, which is a material also commonly used in commercial aircraft interiors.

Stratasys is a leader in the global shift to additive manufacturing with innovative 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products and healthcare. Through smart and connected 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and parts on demand, Stratasys solutions deliver competitive advantages at every stage in the product value chain. The worlds leading organisations turn to Stratasys to transform product design, bring agility to manufacturing and supply chains, and improve patient care.

http://www.stratasys.com

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Stratasys to test 3D printed material on Moon - Aerospace Manufacturing

Watch Japan launch its H3 rocket on return-to-flight mission tonight – Space.com

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Japan's new H3 rocket will attempt to bounce back from an explosive failure tonight (Feb. 16), and you can watch the action live.

The H3 is scheduled to lift off from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center tonight during a nearly four-hour window that opens at 7:22 p.m. EST (0022 GMT and 9:22 a.m. Japan Standard Time on Feb. 17).The launch was originally planned for Wednesday (Feb. 14), but bad weather forced a two-day delay.

You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or directly via JAXA. Coverage will begin around 6:20 p.m. EST (2320 GMT).

Related: Japan's new H3 rocket fails on 1st test flight, advanced Earth observation satellite lost

The H3 has flown just once before, on a test flight in March 2023 that attempted to send the DAICHI-3 Earth-observation satellite to orbit. The rocket's second-stage engine failed to ignite on that mission, however, resulting in loss of the satellite.

On tonight's flight, the H3 will carry two small Earth-observation satellites, called CE-SAT-IE and TIRSAT, to sun-synchronous orbit. The main payload, however, is a 5,900-pound (2,600-kilogram) mass simulator, which is standing in for a big-ticket spacecraft.

"The primary purpose of this mission is to evaluate the performance of the H3 rocket and its payload deployment mechanism," EverydayAstronaut.com wrote in a mission description.

JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been developing the H3 for the past decade. The rocket which stands either 187 feet or 207 feet (57 or 63 meters) tall depending on the choice of payload fairing will eventually replace Japan's venerable H-2A rocket, which debuted in 2001.

The H-2A hasn't been put out to pasture yet, however. It lofted the IGS Optical 8 spy satellite for the Japanese government last month, for example. And, in September 2023, it sent Japan's SLIM lander on its way to the moon. SLIM touched down on the lunar surface on Jan. 19, making Japan just the fifth nation to land softly on Earth's nearest neighbor.

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Watch Japan launch its H3 rocket on return-to-flight mission tonight - Space.com

NASA Says It’s Trying to Bring the Hubble Back Online

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NASA is working on bringing the Hubble Telescope back online, but the orbital observatory is getting very old.

Major Tom?

NASA is working on bringing the Hubble Space Telescope back online, but given its recent setbacks, the agency's insistence that it's "in good health" may be wishful thinking.

In an update, NASA said that it's still working to bring the aging telescope back to life after a series of issues that led it to automatically enter safe mode (read: shut down) three times over the course of a few weeks, with the final one lasting until now.

Starting on November 19, the agency began having issues problems with the gyroscopes or "gyros" — not to be confused with the delicious Greek meat — which helps orient the telescope in whatever direction it needs to point. Between that date and November 29, the gyro issues led to automatic power-downs thrice. That last safe mode, it seems, has remained in effect until now.

Aging Instruments

Installed back in 2009 during the fifth and final Space Shuttle servicing mission that saw NASA astronauts replacing and fixing Hubble instruments IRL, the remaining three of the six gyros aboard the telescope have clearly seen better days. Indeed, with its update to its previous statement about the science operations shutoff, the agency seems to be admitting as much.

"Based on the performance observed during the tests, the team has decided to operate the gyros in a higher-precision mode during science observations," the statement reads. "Hubble’s instruments and the observatory itself remain stable and in good health."

These latest Hubble setbacks have resurrected talks of a private servicing mission for the 33-year-old telescope that was supposed to be decommissioned nearly two decades ago.

At the end of 2022, NASA and SpaceX announced that they were jointly looking into whether it would be feasible to send up a private mission "at no cost to the government" to fix various issues on the telescope. That study has apparently been completed, but nobody knows what the findings were just yet.

In the meantime, NASA will hopefully be able to bring Hubble back online itself because, let's face it, we're not ready to say goodbye.

More on NASA: Space Station Turns 25, Just in Time to Die

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NASA Says It's Trying to Bring the Hubble Back Online