A team of researchers at Washington State University (WSU) has turned a simulated version of a Martian rock into a “high-performance material” that can be fed into 3D printer.
in a blog post (opens in new tab)the academics explained, this development could allow basic tools and rocket components to be made on Mars, solving various problems associated with transporting heavy payloads to the red planet.
“In space, if we want to think about manned missions, we have to 3D print because we really can’t carry everything from here,” explained WSU professor Amit Bandyopadhyay. “If we forget something, we can’t come back and get it. back.”
3D printing on Mars
Not only are space missions limited by cargo capacity, but it is also very expensive to transport heavy materials into space. As explained in the blog post, NASA’s space shuttle costs $54,000 to put just one kilogram of material into Earth’s orbit, let alone transport it to Mars.
“Anything that can be made in space or on Earth saves weight and money — not to mention that if something breaks, astronauts need a way to fix it in the field,” WSU wrote.
To create a viable material, the researchers combined simulated Martian rock dust with a titanium alloy, chosen for its strength and heat-resistant properties, and used a high-power laser to heat the material to more than 2,000 degrees Celsius.
Although ceramic materials made entirely of Martian dust were found to crack when cooled, the team found that the mixture of 5 percent rock and 95 percent alloy was lighter and stronger than titanium alone.
Considering the amount involved, even a small reduction in carry weight can save hundreds of thousands of dollars. Likewise, new technologies may be discovered in the future to make materials composed of larger proportions of Martian-native rocks available for the 3D printing process.
“[Our technique] Giving you better, higher strength and stiffness materials to perform better in certain applications,” Bandyopadhyay said.
“It established [creating composites suitable for 3D printing] It is possible, and maybe we should think in this direction, as it makes not only fragile plastic parts, but strong metal-ceramic composite parts, which can be used for any kind of structural parts. “