Handy! 3-D Printing Could Build Moon Bases And Improve Devices Used In Space

(Before It's News)

Two 3-D replicas of a glove worn by European Space Agency astronaut Hans Schlegel. The one on right is lifesize and the other at one-tenth scale. The models were created “using fused deposition modelling of thermoplastic”, ESA stated, at a mechanical workshop at the Netherlands’ European Space Research and Technology Centre. Credit: ESA-Anneke Le Floc’h

Star Trek replicators, here we come. The European Space Agency has released a list of how 3-D printing could change space exploration forever. And lest you think this type of printing is far in the future, images like those disembodied hands above show you it’s come a long way. Those are 3-D replicas of a glove worn by European Space Agency astronaut Hans Schlegal.

The applications range from the small — making lighter valves, for example — to ambitious projects such as constructing a moon base. Below are some ESA images showing uses for 3-D printing, and if they’ve missed some, be sure to let us know in the comments.

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© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
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Post tags: 3-d printing, valves

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