NASA has completed a complex series of tests on one of the largest composite cryogenic fuel tanks ever manufactured, bringing the aerospace industry much closer to designing, building, and flying lightweight, composite tanks on rockets.

"This is one of NASA's major technology accomplishments for 2014," said Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for Space Technology.

"This is the type of technology that can improve competitiveness for the entire U.S. launch industry, not to mention other industries that want to replace heavy metal components with lightweight composites. These tests, and others we have conducted this year on landing technologies for Mars vehicles, show how technology development is the key to driving exploration."

The demanding series of tests on the 18-foot (5.5-meter) diameter tank were conducted inside a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Engineers added structural loads to the tank to replicate the physical stresses launch vehicles experience during flight.

In other tests, the tank successfully maintained fuels at extremely low temperatures and operated at various pressures. Engineers filled the tank with almost 30,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen chilled to -423 degrees Fahrenheit, and repeatedly cycled the pressure between 20 to 53 pounds per square inch -- the pressure limit set for the tests.

"This is the culmination of a three-year effort to design and build a large high-performance tank with new materials and new processes and to test it under extreme conditions," said John Vickers, the project manager for the Composite Cryogenic Technology Demonstration Project, which is one of the key technologies funded by NASA's Game Changing Development Program.

"We are a step closer to demonstrating in flight a technology that could reduce the weight of rocket tanks by 30 percent and cut costs by at least 25 percent."

The composite rocket fuel tank, which arrived at Marshall on March 26 aboard NASA's Super Guppy airplane, was built by the Boeing Company near Seattle.

"Never before has a tank of this size been proven to sustain the thermal environment of liquid hydrogen at these pressures," said Dan Rivera, Boeing program manager for the cryotank project.

"Our design is also more structurally efficient then predecessors. This is a significant technology achievement for NASA, Boeing and industry. "We are looking at composite fuel tanks for many aerospace applications."

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NASA Completes Battery of Tests on Composite Cryotank

Trying out StarCitizen
This is a pretty amazing space flight sim! -- Watch live at http://www.twitch.tv/kojchi17.

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Trying out StarCitizen - Video

Shortest Possible Space Flight Ever-Submission Video [2:15]
This is my entry for Scott Manley #39;s Competition for the shortest possible space flight in KSP. The rules were no cheats (i.e. infinite fuel, no crash damage, ect) Only Stock Parts, No Mods,...

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Newswise WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Sept. 8, 2014 Jeffrey S. Willey, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiation oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded a grant by NASAs Space Biology Program to study how space flight can cause degeneration of skeletal joints and to test ways to prevent this damage.

The grant was one of 26 awarded to researchers at 17 institutions in nine states. When fully implemented, funding for the Wake Forest Baptist project and others will total approximately $12.6 million.

The goal of the Space Biology Program is to uncover basic knowledge that other NASA scientists and engineers can use to solve problems relating to human exploration of space or that could lead to new biological tools or applications on Earth. Research projects will be performed on the International Space Station.

Our project specifically will examine how near-weightlessness during long space missions affects skeletal joints, said Willey, who joined the Wake Forest Baptist faculty in 2012.

Both the reduced gravity and increased exposure to radiation, such as that from solar flares, during space flights can damage the hip and knee joints. That damage could increase the risk of developing arthritis or bone fractures during the flight or after returning to earth. However, the extent and exact cause of damage to these joints hasnt been studied and it isnt known if the joint tissues can recover.

The Wake Forest Baptist study is designed to compare a group of mice kept on earth under weightless conditions to a group that will be kept on the International Space Station for 30 days. Damage to the hip and knee joint structure will be assessed through imaging techniques, engineering devices that measure tissue strength and identification of the molecules that cause the damage.

The team will also determine if treadmill running or climbing can reverse any of the hip and knee joint damage caused by being in the weightless space environment.

We also hope to gain insights into how joint degradation develops in wheelchair-bound spinal cord injury patients, and how it can be prevented, Willey said.

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Wake Forest Baptist Researcher Awarded NASA Grant to Study Effects of Space Travel on Hip and Knee Joints

Image Caption: The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar will reveal the 3-D architecture of forests, as depicted in this artists concept. The unprecedented detail of these measurements will provide crucial information about the impact that trees have on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Elizabeth Zubritsky, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center

A laser-based instrument being developed for the International Space Station will provide a unique 3-D view of Earths forests, helping to fill in missing information about their role in the carbon cycle.

Called the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar, the instrument will be the first to systematically probe the depths of the forests from space. The system is one of two instrument proposals recently selected for NASAs Earth Venture Instrument program and is being led by the University of Maryland, College Park. The instrument will be built at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

As a global leader in research and discovery related to environmental sustainability, the University of Maryland is extraordinarily proud to be a part of this new venture with our partners from NASA, said University of Maryland Vice President and Chief Research Officer Patrick OShea. GEDI lidar will have a tremendous impact on our ability to monitor forest degradation, adding to the critical data needed to mitigate the effects of climate change.

GEDI will be a tremendous new resource for studying Earths vegetation, said Piers Sellers, deputy director of Goddards Sciences and Exploration Directorate. In particular, the GEDI data will provide us with global-scale insights into how much carbon is being stored in the forest biomass. This information will be particularly powerful when combined with the historical record of changes captured by the U.S.s long-standing program of Earth-orbiting satellites, such as Landsat and MODIS. The MODIS, or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, is an instrument that flies aboard NASAs Terra and Aqua satellites.

By revealing the 3-D architecture of forests in unprecedented detail, GEDI will provide crucial information about the impact that trees have on the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Although it is well-established that trees absorb carbon and store it long-term, scientists have not quantified exactly how much carbon forests contain. As a result, its not possible to determine how much carbon would be released if a forest were destroyed, nor how well emissions could be countered by planting new trees.

One of the most poorly quantified components of the carbon cycle is the net balance between forest disturbance and regrowth, said Ralph Dubayah, the GEDI principal investigator at the University of Maryland. GEDI will help scientists fill in this missing piece by revealing the vertical structure of the forest, which is information we really cant get with sufficient accuracy any other way.

GEDI can do this because its a laser-based system, called a lidar, that can measure the distance from the space-based instrument to Earths surface with enough accuracy to detect subtle variations, including the tops of trees, the ground, and the vertical distribution of aboveground biomass in forests. Its immediate predecessors are Goddards Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and airborne Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor, known as LVIS, which is flown on high-altitude aircraft to measure forests, land topography, ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice.

Lidar has the unique ability to peer into the tree canopy to precisely measure the height and internal structure of the forest at the fine scale required to accurately estimate their carbon content, said Bryan Blair, the deputy principal investigator for GEDI at Goddard.

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New NASA Probe Will Study Earth's Forests In 3D

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Four friends are set to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to space with Land Rover's Galactic Discovery competition a ground-breaking on-line search for a group of aspiring astronauts to go on the ultimate adventure.

The incredible Virgin Galactic space flight prize was announced to audiences around the world through a film featuring a group of the world's greatest-living adventurers and personalities including Sir Richard Branson Bear Grylls and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

It will be the first time that a competition has offered the chance for a group of four friends to win a trip to space. The winners will be among the first pioneering travellers to view the earth from space and experience out-of-seat zero gravity.

The extraordinary opportunity is being offered by Land Rover and Virgin Galactic to mark the reveal of the New Discovery Sport a compact and versatile SUV and first of a new Discovery family. The car was unveiled to the world in a film shot at Spaceport America New Mexico which will be the base for Virgin Galactic's sub-orbital space flights. The film forms part of Land Rover's biggest ever digitally-led campaign debuting the New Discovery Sport exclusively to an online audience for the first time.

Over the next four months the brand will harness the power of social media PR and digital marketing across 40 countries to launch the New Discovery Sport and seek out the world's most adventurous spirits. The campaign will culminate with the announcement of the four winners in December this year.

Phil Popham group marketing director Jaguar Land Rover said 'Only Land Rover could offer this incredible opportunity: The chance to win the most spectacular group journey of a lifetime. Our heritage is rooted in adventure exploration and a desire to go above and beyond and nothing embodies this spirit of discovery more than a trip to space.'

British adventurer and Land Rover ambassador Bear Grylls will play a hands-on role in helping the winning group prepare for their voyage beyond the final frontier. He said 'This prize really is the ultimate adventure of a lifetime. I've stood on top of Mt Everest and looked up at the black above me thinking 'there's only one place higher to go now'. As humans it is in our DNA to go where people have never been before and now four friends have the opportunity to do that.'

Land Rover has assembled a group of experienced adventurers and personalities to back the Galactic Discovery mission including legendary British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes; entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Galactic Sir Richard Branson; and former actress and wildlife campaigner Virginia McKenna. Each of the stars brings their adventurous spirit gravitas and wisdom to the launch film which can be viewed atLand Rover'swebsite http://www.landrover.com/gotospace

To enter the competition aspiring astronauts from across the globe are being asked to produce a 30sec video or a still image that demonstrates their spirit of adventure choose three friends to join them on their space adventure and submit it on the website. Land Rover expects to receive tens of thousands of entries from over 40 countries across the globe.

The Galactic Discovery collaboration signals the next phase of two pioneering companies Land Rover and Virgin Galactic working together to push the boundaries of travel and adventure for the next generation. A global partnership between the brands was announced in New York in April this year and when flights begin a fleet of Land Rovers will play a key role in Virgin Galactic's space experience with future astronauts driving in the vehicles from the spaceport in New Mexico to the spaceship to begin their trip across the final frontier.

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Land Rover launches contest for adventurers to win a trip to space

@126af5cb401e29f281bff912d4febcde
What is Vertical integration? With images

By: The Neenan Company, Joel Tjintjelaar, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, gervo1865_2 - LJ Gervasoni, Pulpolux !!!, Computer Science Geek, Cooper Works...

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@126af5cb401e29f281bff912d4febcde - Video

Sun, Sep 07, 2014

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have wrapped up acoustic testing on a 5-percent scale model of NASA's Space Launch System. The Aug.28 test, the 34th in the series, will help NASA engineers understand how loud the SLS vehicle will be during liftoff. Data from the test series will be used to design the water sound suppression system that reduces liftoff vibrations on the vehicle. SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep space missions.

The Scale Model Acoustic test article has four operational liquid engines and two solid rocket motors to represent the propulsion system for SLS. The launch structure also has working water delivery systems to represent its sound suppression system. The test article can be elevated to capture how the liftoff noise changes as the vehicle launches to space. Hot-fire testing began in January and will end this fall.

"We have almost completed testing to encompass all of the liftoff noise levels SLS could experience during launch," said Jeremy Kenny, SLS acoustics engineer at the Marshall Center, prior to the test. "The latest test will inform us of the liftoff noise levels as the vehicle is positioned approximately 150 feet above the deck that the model is positioned on."

"This has been a very successful test program," Kenny added. "Not only has our team gotten a better understanding of the noise levels expected at launch, but we've also proven out the effectiveness of the water suppression systems currently being installed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center."

The test program is led by Marshall's Propulsion Department in the Engineering Directorate, with additional engineering support across several NASA centers. The Marshall Center manages the SLS Program for the agency.

(Image provided by NASA)

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NASA Engineers Wrap Up Acoustic Testing For SLS

Recently returned to Earth space station astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koicha Wakata will tour NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Reporters are welcome to join the tour and meet the astronauts.

While at Goddard, Mastracchio and Wakata will see the new Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) control room and other satellite control centers. The GPM Core Observatory was launched into orbit while the two astronauts were aboard the space station. Mastracchio, Wakata and the media will learn about GPM's collection of rain, snowfall and other types of precipitation data. As of today, Sept. 4, 2014, those data were available to the general public.

News media representatives will have an opportunity to follow the astronauts as they tour Goddard. There will also be a brief Q-and-A opportunity with the astronauts. The tour and media interview opportunity is expected to begin at 10 a.m. and conclude no later than 11:30 a.m.

The visit is part of several days the two men will be spending in the Washington, D.C., area for events and activities to highlight their participation as Expedition 38/39 crewmembers during 188 days in orbit.

U.S. reporters and green card-holding foreign media representatives desiring to participate will need to contact Ed Campion in Goddards Office of Communications via e-mail atedward.s.campion@nasa.govor by phone at 301-286-0697 by close of business on Tuesday, Sept. 16.Please Note:Non-green card holding foreign media representatives need to supply passport/visa information by 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, to allow time for processing and approval for access to the Goddard facility.

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Space Station Crew Members to Visit NASA Goddard Sept. 17

Astronauts Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Koicha Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will tour NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, at 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 17. Reporters are invited to join the tour.

While at Goddard, Mastracchio and Wakata will view the new Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) control room and other satellite control centers. The GPM Core Observatory was launched into orbit in February while the two astronauts were aboard the International Space Station. The GPM team will brief Mastracchio, Wakata and the media on the observatorys collection of data on rain, snowfall and other types of precipitation, data that is now available to the general public.

There also will be a brief question and answer opportunity with the astronauts. The tour and interview opportunity is expected to conclude no later than 11:30 a.m.

The visit is part of several days Mastracchio and Wakata will spend in the Washington area for events and activities to highlight their 188 days in orbit as members of the space station's Expedition 38/39 crews.

To participate in the event at Goddard, U.S. reporters and foreign media with green cards must contact Ed Campion atedward.s.campion@nasa.govor 301-286-0697 by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16. Non-green card holding foreign media must provide passport or visa information no later than 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, to allow time for processing and approval for access to Goddard.

Mastracchios official biography is available at:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mastracc.html

Wakata's official biography is available at:

http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/astro/biographies/wakata/index.html

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Space Station Crew Members Tour NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Talk Earth Science

Magnificent Space Flight Through Colorful Nebulae. Stock Footage
"This is a preview video. Download high quality footage at: http://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/11210310?ref=silverstepper More stock media here: http://www.p...

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Magnificent Space Flight Through Colorful Nebulae. Stock Footage - Video

September 5, 2014

Kimberly Newton, Marshall Space Flight Center

Media and the public are invited to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. CDT/6:30-9:30 EDT at NASAs Education Training Facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The free event will include moon-related exhibits and hands-on activities for children and adults. An inflatable planetarium show will allow visitors to learn more about the moons shape, colors, and terrain. Several large amateur telescopes will be set up to view the moon, stars, and other visible planets. Visitors can also take a virtual 3-D trip to the moon with the astronomy van, offering a magnified, command-module-like view of the lunar surface.

From 6:15-7 p.m. CDT/7:15-8 p.m. EDT a lunar science discussion will be held with planetary scientists Dr. Renee Weber and Dr. Barbara Cohen to learn more about the moons origin and surface features including craters, mountains and lava flows that can be observed with the naked eye, through telescopes and by orbiting cameras.

The lunar science discussion will be shown live via U-stream. To watch live, visit: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc

Questions can be asked during the event by attendees or via Twitter or Ustream using the hashtag #moonnight.

News media interested in covering the event should contact Kim Newton in the Marshall Public & Employee Communications Office at 256-544-0371 no later than 3 p.m. CDT/4 p.m. EDT Sept. 5, 2014. Media must report to NASAs Education Training Facility to participate in the event.

Directions: Take Interstate 565 to exit 15 for Madison Pike toward Sparkman Drive/Bob Wallace Avenue. Keep right at the fork, follow signs to the Space & Rocket Center. Take the first left after the Marriott entrance.

For more information, follow Marshall Space Flight Centers social media channels:

http://www.facebook.com/nasamarshallcenter

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Earth's Moon The Focus Of International Observe The Moon Night On September 6

NASA engineers inspect a new piece of technology developed for the James Webb Space Telescope, the micro shutter array, with a low light test at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Developed at Goddard to allow Webb's Near Infrared Spectrograph to obtain spectra of more than 100 objects in the universe simultaneously, the micro shutter array uses thousands of tiny shutters to capture spectra from selected objects of interest in space and block out light from all other sources.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a large space telescope, optimized for infrared wavelengths. It is scheduled for launch later in this decade.

Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way galaxy.

Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar system.

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Engineers Conduct Low Light Test On Webb Telescope Component

robg - Space Flight test
Test clip for a movie I am working on.

By: Rob G

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robg - Space Flight test - Video

Richard Branson: 800 tickets sold for space flight
Sir Richard Branson is planning commercial flights into space soon with Virgin Galactic. The billionaire revealed in Antwerp that already 800 people have bought a ticket.

By: Zoomin.TV UK

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Richard Branson: 800 tickets sold for space flight - Video

Land Rover unveils opportunity for space flight
Land Rover unveils opportunity for space flight.

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Land Rover unveils opportunity for space flight - Video

Kasha Patel, NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center

Robert Alexander spends parts of his day listening to a soft white noise, similar to water falling on the outside of a house during a rainstorm. Every once in a while, he hears an anomalous sound and marks the corresponding time in the audio file. Alexander is listening to the suns magnetic field and marking potential areas of interest. After only ten minutes, he has listened to one months worth of data.

Alexander is a PhD candidate in design science at the University of Michigan. He is a sonification specialist who trains heliophysicists at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to pick out subtle differences by listening to satellite data instead of looking at it.

Sonification is the process of displaying any type of data or measurement as sound, such as the beep from a heart rate monitor measuring a persons pulse, a door bell ringing every time a person enters a room, or, in this case, explosions indicating large events occurring on the sun. In certain cases, scientists can use their ears instead of their eyes to process data more rapidly and to detect more details than through visual analysis. A paper on the effectiveness of sonification in analyzing data from NASA satellites was published in the July issue of Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.

NASA produces a vast amount of data from its satellites. Exploring such large quantities of data can be difficult, said Alexander. Sonification offers a promising supplement to standard visual analysis techniques.

LISTENING TO SPACE

Alexanders focus is on improving and quantifying the success of these techniques. The team created audio clips from the data and shared them with researchers. While the original data from the Wind satellite was not in audio file format, the satellite records electromagnetic fluctuations that can be converted directly to audio samples. Alexander and his team used custom written computer algorithms to convert those electromagnetic frequencies into sound. Listen to the following multimedia clips to hear the sounds of space.

PROCESSING AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF DATA

Alexanders focus is on using clips like these to quantify and improve sonification techniques in order to speed up access to the incredible amounts of data provided by space satellites. For example, he works with space scientist Robert Wicks at NASA Goddard to analyze the high-resolution observations of the sun. Wicks studies the constant stream of particles from our closest star, known as the solar wind a wind that can cause space weather effects that interfere with human technology near Earth. The team uses data from NASAs Wind satellite. Launched in 1994, Wind orbits a point in between Earth and the sun, constantly observing the temperature, density, speed and the magnetic field of the solar wind as it rushes past.

Wicks analyzes changes in Winds magnetic field data. Such data not only carries information about the solar wind, but understanding such changes better might help give a forewarning of problematic space weather that can affect satellites near Earth. The Wind satellite also provides an abundance of magnetometer data points, as the satellite measures the magnetic field 11 times per second. Such incredible amounts of information are beneficial but only if all the data can be analyzed.

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More Than Meets The Eye: NASA Scientists Listen To Data

DJ PeterB - Space Flight [Original Mix]
My second produced dance track (Trance) for the year 2014. DJ PeterB - Space Flight [Original Mix] 134 bpm 2014 - Also available on SoundCloud https://sound...

By: Peter Buitenhuis

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DJ PeterB - Space Flight [Original Mix] - Video

September 3, 2014

Image Caption: Mike Snyder and Jason Dunn, both from Made In Space, assemble the 3-D printer that will fly to the International Space Station in the company's cleanroom. Credit: Made In Space

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

International Space Station crew members currently forced to wait for resupply vehicles to arrive with essential items could soon benefit from the arrival of a new 3D printer later this year, NASA officials announced on Tuesday.

The device, which was constructed by Made In Space Inc. and passed flight certification and acceptance testing at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama back in April, is expected to make its way to the ISS later this year aboard the SpaceX-4 resupply mission, the US space agency said.

The 3D printer will be the first to ever leave the Earths atmosphere, and NASA is banking on it being a game-changer. They hope that it will demonstrate that the technology can work normally in the orbital laboratorys microgravity environment, and that it will be able to produce parts equal in quality to those made on the ground.

It works by extruding heated plastic, which then builds layer upon layer to create three-dimensional objects, explained Jessica Eagan of the International Space Station Program Science Office at Marshall Space Flight Center. Testing this on the station is the first step toward creating a working machine shop in space.

This capability may decrease cost and risk on the station, will be critical when space explorers venture far from Earth and will create an on-demand supply chain for needed tools and parts, she added. If the printer is successful, it will not only serve as the first demonstration of additive manufacturing in microgravity, but it also will bring NASA a big step closer to evolving in-space manufacturing for future missions to destinations such as an asteroid and Mars.

Made In Space received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) from Marshalls 3-D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3-D Printing In Zero-G) program to build the device. The project is supported by the International Space Station Technology Development Office in Houston, as well as the Advanced Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and the Game Changing Development Program at NASA HQ in Washington.

If proven to be successful, the technology would greatly benefit long-term space missions thanks to the onboard manufacturing capabilities it would provide, explained NASA. The data and knowledge gained during this demonstration will improve future 3D manufacturing technology and equipment for use by the space program, while allowing astronauts to have a greater degree of autonomy and flexibility during missions, the agency added.

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NASA Planning To Send 3D Printer Technology To ISS Later This Year

Riddle: It's the size of a small microwave, and it may alleviate the need for NASA astronauts to wait for resupply ships to arrive at theInternational Space Stationto get some essential items.

Answer: A3-D printer-- the first ever to be flown to space. And it could change the way NASA does business aboard the space station.

The 3-D Printing In Zero-G Technology Demonstration (3-D Printing In Zero-G), led out of NASAsMarshall Space Flight Centerin Huntsville, Alabama, provided a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award toMade In Space Inc.to build the first 3-D printer for operation in microgravity. It is scheduled to launch to the station aboard the SpaceX-4 resupply mission.

The project is supported by three NASA customers: the International Space Station Technology Development Office at the agency'sJohnson Space Center in Houston; theAdvanced Exploration Systemsdivision within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington; and theGame Changing Development Programwithin the Space Technology Mission Directorate, also at NASA Headquarters.

Researchers hope to show a 3-D printer can work normally in space and produce parts equitable to those printed on the ground. It works by extruding heated plastic, which then builds layer upon layer to create three-dimensional objects. Testing this on the station is the first step toward creating a working "machine shop" in space. This capability may decrease cost and risk on the station, will be critical when space explorers venture far from Earth and will create an on-demand supply chain for needed tools and parts.

If the printer is successful, it will not only serve as the first demonstration of additive manufacturing in microgravity, but it also will bring NASA and Made In Space a big step closer to evolving in-space manufacturing for future missions to destinations such as an asteroid and Mars.

Long-term missions would benefit greatly from onboard manufacturing capabilities. Data and experience gathered in this demonstration will improve future 3-D manufacturing technology and equipment for the space program, allowing a greater degree of autonomy and flexibility for astronauts.

"I remember when the tip broke off a tool during a mission," recallsNASA astronaut TJ Creamer, who flew aboard the space station during Expedition 22/23 from December 2009 to June 2010. "I had to wait for the next shuttle to come up to bring me a new one. Now, rather than wait for a resupply ship to bring me a new tool, in the future, I could just print it."

So, if something breaks, like a wrench for instance, how long will it take to print one? It depends on the size and complexity of the part. Depending on these factors, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to print a part on the station. The computer-aided design model, which serves as the instructions, can be pre-loaded on the printer or uplinked from the ground to the station printer. It requires minimal crew time as it can be operated primarily from ground control at Marshall's Operations Support Center.

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3-D Printer Could Turn Space Station into 'Machine Shop'