Monday, 23 July 2012

NASA blazes trail for made-in-space parts

NASA blazes trail for made-in-space parts:
NASA has carried out parabolic flights that mimic microgravity to test "additive manufacturing" — a process that allows for on-call fabrication of spare parts. Work is under way to pursue hardware and procedural changes to make equipment more robust and astronaut-friendly.Maybe it's time to shelve the old saying, "you can't leave home without it," when it comes to packing for trips to space.