NASA prints 3-D wrench in space

Posted on by

(CNN) -

Bringing supplies to astronauts on the International Space Station can be a little screwy, leaving astronauts waiting for the next costly and risky resupply mission.

This week, thanks to 3-D printing, astronaut and ISS commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore had a wrench he needed manufactured by a printer in just four hours.

The ratcheting socket wrench was the first "uplink tool" printed in space, according to Grant Lowery, marketing and communications manager for Made In Space, which built the printer in partnership with NASA. The tool was designed on the ground, emailed to the space station and then manufactured.

From start to finish, the process took less than a week.

Made in Space's 3-D printer is the first to operate in zero gravity, and printed its first object in orbit -- a part for the printer, ironically -- in November.

"This means that we could go from having a part designed on the ground to printed in orbit within an hour to two from start to finish," Niki Werkheiser, NASA's 3-D print manager, said in a press release when the printer was sent to the ISS in September. "The on-demand capability can revolutionize the constrained supply chain model we are limited to today and will be critical for exploration missions."

The goal for the project is to create in-space manufacturing, especially as missions venture farther from Earth.

Ultimately, Lowery said the wrench and other objects will be sent back to assess whether there are any functional differences between those samples printed in space versus those on the ground.

See more here:

NASA prints 3-D wrench in space

KerbalEdu receives its first major update

Posted on by

Kerbal Space Program's developer Squad and TeacherGaming has released their first update to KerbalEdu, a teaching-focused version of the wildly popular indie game.

Following their development of MinecraftEdu, TeacherGaming is focusing on the application of Kerbal Space Program in the fields of maths, physics, and other STEM fields. They are developing KerbalEdu in conjunction with Squad.

"We always hear about how much our players have learned through playing the game," Miguel Pea, Kerbal Space Program producer, commented. "While we're proud of inspiring so many players who've learned through KSP, we've always been a game first. TeacherGaming takes KSP to the next level and makes education aspects as important as the gameplay, if not more so, in the best ways possible. They've modified things to where students can grasp onto some of the game's concepts in an easier more practical way."

According to KerbalEdu's website, the update demonstrates the forces used in space flight, as well as allowing teachers to create missions and lesson plans, and then upload them for others to use. In addition, there will be an in-depth flight recorder that means "students can create data driven experiments and learn how changes in design or construction influence the performance of their spacecraft, or plot the data to discover the relationships of gravity, mass and acceleration."

The price of KerbalEdu varies depending on what kind of educational institution you represent, with schools paying $17 for a single license, with 25 going for $330, which works out to $13 per license.

As a testament to the robustness of Kerbal Space Program's systems, the folks at NASA have often said they play the space flight simulator.

View post:

KerbalEdu receives its first major update

The CSCA Announces New Board of Directors for 2015-16

Posted on by

The Canadian Space Commerce Association (CSCA) recently completed the election of a new Board of Directors who will serve a term of two years beginning on January 1, 2015 and until December 31, 2016. The new board members are:

- Yaroslav Yarko Pustovyi (President) Was part of the first astronaut group selected by the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU). In 1997 he served as a backup payload specialist for the STS-87 Space Shuttle Columbia flight. He is a co-founder and Vice President of Space 1 Systems Inc.

- Catherine Carr (Treasurer) Is experienced in many facets of corporate finance and accounting. An avid space exploration and astronomy enthusiast with 18 years accounting experience, Catherine can assist organizations with establishing internal accounting controls, developing financial reporting, budgeting & analysis and with day to day operations.

- Azam Shaghaghi (Secretary) Visionary entrepreneur, space enthusiast, 2005 world invention 2nd & 3rd place contest winner, Azam is currently on the board of directors at Space Tourism Society Canada as a president. - Farnaz Ghadaki (Director) Is a strategic marketing & management consultant and a member of the entrepreneurship & investment committee of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

- Wilfred So (Director) Wilfred So is a Patent Agent at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. His work involves the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, as well as industrial designs. He also advises on issues of infringement and validity, as well as patent filing strategy. Wilfred is also a former editor-in-chief of the Canadian Space Societys Gazette. Prior to joining Blakes, he gained aerospace engineering experience working at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., Honeywell Inc. and Messier-Dowty Inc. He is also the co-inventor and co-owner of issued U.S. patents relating to aircraft control systems.

About the Canadian Space Commerce Association

The Canadian Space Commerce Association, founded in 2007, is a registered not-for-profit industry organization that advances the economic, legal and political environment for space focused companies. For more information about the Canadian Space Commerce Association and when our next event is, please visit our web site at: http://www.spacecommerce.ca.

Follow us on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CanadianSpace Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanadianSpace/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostRecent=&gid=8218235

Media Contact:

Visit link:

The CSCA Announces New Board of Directors for 2015-16

Salvation Army Appeals For Help In Meeting Red Kettle Donations Goal

Posted on by

December 23, 2014 3:48 AM

Kim Glovas has been covering breaking and developing news as a...

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) The Salvation Army is coming up short on holiday donations to its iconic red kettles.

The Salvation Army depends on donations to provide social services, shelter, food and other assistance to the poor and hungry. Major Robert Dixon, who heads the Philadelphia division, says the number of those in need is greater this year than last, and he is appealing to individuals, corporations and groups to help.

People are in desperate need of assistance from the Salvation Army and they continue to come to us, Dixon says. And we dont want to say no. We want to be able to help people. Their generosity and donations will help us to do that.

Online donations are also acceptedthrough the Salvation Army website.

Major Dixon says the goal of the 2014 Red Kettle drive is $700,000. So far, about half of that has been raised.

Were just asking that they dig a little deeper, he says, so that we can continue to meet needs.

The bell ringing stops Christmas Eve.

Here is the original post:

Salvation Army Appeals For Help In Meeting Red Kettle Donations Goal

NASA spin-off technologies – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted on by

NASA spin-off technologies are commercial products and services which have been developed with the help of NASA, through research and development contracts (such as SBIR or STTR awards), licensing of NASA patents, use of NASA facilities, technical assistance from NASA personnel, or data from NASA research. Information on new NASA technology that may be useful to industry is available in periodical and website form in "NASA Tech Briefs", while successful examples of commercialization are reported annually in the NASA publication "Spinoffs".

In 1979, notable science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein was asked to appear before a joint committee of the House and Senate after recovering from one of the earliest known carotid bypass operations to correct a blocked artery that was causing transient ischemic attacks; in his testimony, reprinted in the book Expanded Universe, he characterized the technology that made the surgery possible as merely one of a long list of spinoff technologies from space development.

For more than 50 years, the NASA Technology Transfer Program[1] has connected NASA resources to private industry, referring to the commercial products as spin-offs. Well-known products that NASA claims as spin-offs include memory foam (originally named temper foam), freeze-dried food, firefighting equipment, emergency "space blankets", Dustbusters, cochlear implants, and now Speedo's LZR Racer swimsuits. NASA claims that there are over 1650 other spin-offs in the fields of computer technology, environment and agriculture, health and medicine, public safety, transportation, recreation, and industrial productivity. Contrary to common belief, NASA did not invent Tang, Velcro, or Teflon.[2]

In 2008, NASA announced an interactive Web feature, NASA @ Home and City[3] which uses Flash animation to show some examples of everyday products claimed to be spin-offs.[4]

The following is a list of technologies sometimes mistakenly attributed to NASA.[2] In some cases, NASA popularized technology or aided its development.

After:)initial experiments using light-emitting diodes in NASA space shuttle plant growth experiments, NASA issued a small business innovation grant that led to the development of a hand-held, high-intensity, LED unit developed by Quantum Devices Inc. that can be used to treat tumors after other treatment options are exhausted.[9]:1011 This therapy was approved by the FDA and inducted into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2000.

Diatek Corporation and NASA developed an aural thermometer that measures the Thermal Radiation emitted by the eardrum, similar to the way the temperature of stars and planets is measured. This method avoids contact with mucous membranes, and permits rapid temperature measurement of newborn or incapacitated patients. NASA supported the Diatek Corporation through the Technology Affiliates Program.[10]

Collaboration between NASA, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. George Noon, and MicroMed Technology Inc. resulted in a heart pump for patients awaiting heart transplants. The MicroMed DeBakey ventricular assist device (VAD) functions as a bridge to heart transplant by pumping blood until a donor heart is available. The pump is approximately one-tenth the size of other currently marketed pulsatile VADs. Because of the pumps small size, fewer patients developed device-related infections. It can operate up to 8 hours on batteries, giving patients the mobility to do normal, everyday activities.[11]

Artificial limbs

NASAs continued funding, coupled with its collective innovations in robotics and shock-absorption/comfort materials are inspiring and enabling the private sector to create new and better solutions for animal and human prostheses. Advancements such as Environmental Robots Inc.s development of artificial muscle systems with robotic sensing and actuation capabilities for use in NASA space robotic and extravehicular activities are being adapted to create more functionally dynamic artificial limbs (Spinoff 2004). Additionally, other private-sector adaptations of NASAs temper foam technology have brought about custom-moldable materials offering the natural look and feel of flesh, as well as preventing friction between the skin and the prosthesis, and heat/moisture buildup. (Spinoff 2005 url = http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html

Read the original post:

NASA spin-off technologies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NASA releases 'astronaut's-eye view' of Orion capsule's fiery reentry

Posted on by

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Newly released NASA footage recorded during the first test flight ofNASAs Orioncrew capsule this month gives an astronauts-eye view of what it would have been like for a crew riding along on the Trial by Fire as the vehiclebegan the fiery reentrythrough the Earths atmosphere and suffered scorching temperatures during the approximately ten minute plummet homewards and parachute assisted splashdown.

The video provides a taste of the intense conditions the spacecraft and the astronauts it carries will endure when theyreturn from deep space destinationson the journey to Mars, NASA said in a statement.

The video was among the first data to be removed from Orion following its unpiloted Dec. 5 flight test and was recorded through windows inOrions crew module.

The Orion deep space test capsule reached an altitude of 3604 miles and the video starts with a view of the Earths curvature far different from what weve grown accustomed to from Space Shuttle flight and the International Space Station (ISS).

Then it transitions to the fiery atmospheric entry and effects from the superheated plasma, the continued descent, gorgeous series of parachute openings, and concludes with the dramatic splashdown.

Although parts of the video were transmitted back in real time and shown live on NASA TV, this is the first time that the complete video is available so that the public can have an up-close look at the extreme environment a spacecraft experiences as it travels back through Earths environment from beyond low-Earth orbit.

A portion of the video could not be sent back live because of the communications blackout that always occurs during reentry when the superheated plasma surrounds the vehicle as it endures peak heating up to 4000 F (2200 C) and prevents data downlink. Video footage shows the plasma created by the interaction change from white to yellow to lavender to magenta as the temperature increases.

The on-board cameras continued to operate all the way through the 10 minute reentry period to unfurling of the drogue and three main parachutes and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11:29 a.m. EST at about 20 mph.

The Orion EFT-1 spacecraft was recovered from the Pacific by a combined team from NASA, the U.S. Navy, and Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin and safely towed into the flooded well deck of the USS Anchorage.

It was brought to shore andoff-loaded from the USS Anchorageat US Naval Base San Diego.

Read more:

NASA releases 'astronaut's-eye view' of Orion capsule's fiery reentry

NASA Orion Space Capsule Back in Florida After Test Flight

Posted on by

The capsule, designed to bring humans farther into space than ever before, conducted its first unmanned test flight on Dec. 5

NASA's first Orion space capsulewhich made its spaceflight debut at the beginning of this monthhas returned to Florida after more than a week in transit. Credit: NASA Twitter

NASA's first Orion space capsulewhich made its spaceflight debut at the beginning of this monthhas returned to Florida after more than a week in transit.

The capsule, designed to bring humans farther into space than ever before, flew to space for its first unmanned test flight on Dec. 5 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean about 4.5 hours later, when the U.S. Navy retrieved it and towed it into port in San Diego. Orion then went on a cross-country road trip that ultimately brought it back to Kennedy Space Center today (Dec. 18).

Orion's test flight was designed to be rigorous, stressing many of its systems that could one day be used for crewed missions to deep-space destinations like Mars. NASA officials want to examine the flown capsule to see exactly how it stood up to the extreme space environment during its launch, two orbits of Earth, re-entry and splashdown. [Orion's 1st Test Flight: Complete Coverage]

"The flight itself was such a great success, but that's only the beginning of the story," Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer said in a statement. "Now, we get to dig in and really find out if our design performed like we thought it would. This is why we flew the flight. We demonstrated on Dec. 5 that Orion is a very capable vehicle. Now, we're going to keep testing and improving as we begin building the next Orion."

Orion's test earlier this month marked the first time a spacecraft built for humans has flown beyond low-Earth orbit in more than 40 years. The spacecraft is also the first capsule built by NASA designed to take humans to Mars. Space agency officials hope that, one day, Orion could be part of a system that takes astronauts to and from the Red Planet or other destinations like an asteroid.

The capsule flew about 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) above Earth's surface during its highest point in orbit. It then started plummeting back to Earth. The spacecraft's huge heat shield seemed to stand up to the extreme heat produced when the capsule came back through the planet's atmosphere, and its parachutes seemed to function well, NASA scientists said.

"Orion's flight test was a critical step on our journey to send astronauts to explore deep-space destinations," Bill Hill, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, said in the same statement. "We stressed Orion to help us evaluate its performance and validate our computer models and ground-based evaluations, and the information we gathered will help us improve Orion's design going forward."

Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Read more from the original source:

NASA Orion Space Capsule Back in Florida After Test Flight

NASA mulls plan to explore Venus with 'Cloud City' (+video)

Posted on by

Washington Its been done in Star Wars living at a planet by floating above it. Now NASA researchers have proposed the concept in real life.

And the planet they have in mind is not so far, far away.

Its actually Earths closest neighbor, Venus.

Some scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration propose sending people there to help study the atmosphere while flying among the clouds in a dirigible.

Although Venus isnt a hospitable place to land, the scientists make a case that the planet should be part of humanitys future in space.

"The atmosphere of Venus is an exciting destination for both further scientific study and future human exploration, says Christopher Jones of NASAs Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate, in a summary document shared by the space agency. The environment at 50 km [about 31 miles above the surface] is relatively benign, with similar pressure, density, gravity, and radiation protection to the surface of Earth.

Mr. Jones describes the mission as rich in atmospheric research, but also as part of a multi-phase campaign to explore and potentially settle Venus.

Settle Venus? Where ground temperatures are currently in excess of 800 degrees Fahrenheit?

OK, this is where the analogy to Cloud City in the Star Wars movies comes in.

In "The Empire Strikes Back," Cloud City was suspended above the planet Bespin, and film audiences suspended their disbelief as city leader Lando Calrissian (Billie Dee Williams) gave a hard time to interstellar jet jockey Han Solo (Harrison Ford).

Read the original:

NASA mulls plan to explore Venus with 'Cloud City' (+video)

NASA mulls plan to explore Venus with 'Cloud City'

Posted on by

Washington Its been done in Star Wars living at a planet by floating above it. Now NASA researchers have proposed the concept in real life.

And the planet they have in mind is not so far, far away.

Its actually Earths closest neighbor, Venus.

Some scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration propose sending people there to help study the atmosphere while flying among the clouds in a dirigible.

Although Venus isnt a hospitable place to land, the scientists make a case that the planet should be part of humanitys future in space.

"The atmosphere of Venus is an exciting destination for both further scientific study and future human exploration, says Christopher Jones of NASAs Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate, in a summary document shared by the space agency. The environment at 50 km [about 31 miles above the surface] is relatively benign, with similar pressure, density, gravity, and radiation protection to the surface of Earth.

Mr. Jones describes the mission as rich in atmospheric research, but also as part of a multi-phase campaign to explore and potentially settle Venus.

Settle Venus? Where ground temperatures are currently in excess of 800 degrees Fahrenheit?

OK, this is where the analogy to Cloud City in the Star Wars movies comes in.

In "The Empire Strikes Back," Cloud City was suspended above the planet Bespin, and film audiences suspended their disbelief as city leader Lando Calrissian (Billie Dee Williams) gave a hard time to interstellar jet jockey Han Solo (Harrison Ford).

More here:

NASA mulls plan to explore Venus with 'Cloud City'