Monthly Archives: November 2014

SALYUT - The Soviets Temporary Space Stations
In this episode we take a short look at the predecessor to the international space station MIR, the Soviet program: Salyut.

By: The Air Show

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SALYUT - The Soviets Temporary Space Stations - Video

Proof of Alien Moon Base - Nasa Evidence (Full Documentary)Why NASA Is Using Inf
Watch More INteresting videos and documentaries Future Wearable Gadgets Mobiles #Mind Blow (Full Documentary) ...

By: Yeanh Dnazzi

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Proof of Alien Moon Base - Nasa Evidence (Full Documentary)Why NASA Is Using Inf - Video

Necron plays Tales from the Borderlands pt 1 Fall from Grace
in the first of my brand new series we play through the beginnings of rhys story and his fall from the beautiful space station Helios to the slums of Pandora.

By: The Crazy Gaming Empire

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Necron plays Tales from the Borderlands pt 1 Fall from Grace - Video

International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with 3-D printing on Nov. 25. NASA hide caption

International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with 3-D printing on Nov. 25.

This week, a 3-D printer fabricated a part for itself. Normally, that wouldn't make headlines except that it happened in space.

"It's a history-making moment for us because it's the first time ever that we're talking about transitioning from launching every part we might need in space from Earth, to actually being able to email a file, a design to space and make that part on demand," says Niki Werkheiser, the project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Expedition 42 commander aboard the International Space Station, installed the printer and conducted calibration tests on Nov. 17. The first object, which is actually a side casing for part of the printer, was produced on Nov. 25. Werkheiser says they chose that to print part of the printer itself "to show that if we need replacement parts, or maybe one day in the future if the printer needs to print another printer, we can do that."

This project started two years ago. NASA partnered with a Silicon Valley space manufacturing company called Made in Space to make the 3-D printer.

There are several categories of objects they hope to be able to 3-D print in space from replacement crew tools to small satellites. And since the International Space Station is a scientific laboratory, they hope to be able to 3-D print syringes, tweezers and sample containers rather than lugging up extras or waiting on resupply missions for new parts.

3-D printing sounds cool and fun, but the International Space Station program has serious implications for long-term space exploration. Werkheiser says that for missions to Mars or to asteroids, "we really can't be dependent on launching every single item we might ever need from Earth. We will need to be able to make what we need, when we need it, on demand, and this is the first step to establishing those capabilities."

But for 3-D printing to work, you still have to transport all the raw materials to make the parts. So does the process really save room?

Werkheiser says this is her favorite question to answer and was one of the first issues examined in the project. She says some mass is immediately saved when you're transporting raw materials rather than the spare parts themselves. But to really save room and time, they are working to develop in-space recyclers that can re-use 3-D printed materials and turn launch packaging into feed stock for 3-D printers.

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To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- NASA has officially 3D printed an object in space for the first time, on board the International Space Station.

The printer was delivered at the end of September, with help from SpaceX, and it was tested for the first time this week. The object they decided to make is a small placard that says "Made in space, NASA."

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore created the test object.

"This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth," said Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space."

The printer was made by a California company named Made in Space, which spent a large portion of two years learning how to 3D print an object without the aid of gravity.

The test found that the part adhesion was stronger than they had predicted, and they intend to study how printing differs in low gravity. NASA will have the printed pieces sent back to Earth for further investigation.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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NASA has 3D printed an object in space for the first time

TIME Science space Astronauts on the International Space Station Can Now Enjoy Espresso A prototype of Lavazza's and Argotec's "ISSpresso" machine. The final version of the coffee machine will be the first real Italian espresso machine on The International Space Station, and will coincide with a six-month mission by Italys first Italian female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti. Lavazza/AP The Italian engineered 'ISSpresso' can be sipped through a straw

If the only thing keeping you from joining the space program was a lack of decent coffee outside Earths orbit, you no longer have that excuse.

This week Italy sent astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to the International Space Station with a specially designed espresso machine that works in zero-gravity.

Designed by Turin-based Lavazzo and engineering firm Argotec, the ISSpresso, pumps water under high pressure through the machine into a pouch, where it can be sipped through a straw.

Part of an international crew that arrived on the Russian Soyuz craft, Cristoforetti, 37, also a captain in the Italian air force, will be not only the first female astronaut from Italy to go into space, but also the very first astronaut in the history of the conquest of space to savor an authentic Italian espresso in orbit, the companies said in a statement. If slurping hot coffee through a straw sounds less than ideal, more innovations are on the horizon, thanks to researchers in Portland, where coffee obsession rivals that in Italy.

On Monday a team at Portland State University presented a paper, The Capillary Fluidics of Espresso, detailing a way to enjoy espresso in space in a manner similar to the one on Earth which is to say in a cup by replacing the role of gravity with the forces of surface tension.

Espresso, noted the team, which included a member of NASA and also a high school student, is distinguished by a complex low density colloid of emulsified oils. Due to gravity, these oils rise to the surface forming a foam lid called the crema . To some, the texture and aromatics of the crema play a critical role in the overall espresso experience. We show how in the low-g environment this may not be possible. We also suggest alternate methods for enjoying espresso aboard spacecraft.

Of equal importance, these impressive innovations mean that, should the ISS ever encounter life on other planets, aliens first experience of coffee will not be adulterated with pumpkin spice.

This article originally appeared at PEOPLE.com

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Astronauts on the International Space Station Can Now Enjoy Espresso