Human space exploration initiatives have not ventured beyond low earth orbit and the moon. While stays on the International Space Station (ISS) are increasing in duration (astronaut Scott Kelley recently completed a nearly year-long mission), ISS is not representative of long endurance spaceflight where cargo resupply opportunities and quick abort capabilities are limited. It is understood that a suite of manufacturing capabilities will be needed on long duration, long endurance missions to reduce logistics (i.e. the amount of mass that must be launched to support a mission) and enhance crew safety by enabling rapid response to unforseen situations. The International Space Station provides a unique opportunity for NASA and its commercial partners to test out the manufacturing technologies needed on long duration, long endurance missions humanity will undertake in the post-ISS era. A failure that could be adapted for in crewed missions near earth may result in loss of mission while on voyages to Mars or beyond. The in-space manufacturing (ISM) project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and numerous commercial companies funded under this program are working to develop the manufacturing systems, skill sets, materials and techniques needed to support future exploration missions. This paper provides an overview of technologies developed or in development under the helm of the ISM project that stand to change historical paradigms for human spaceflight and approaches to mission planning. Categories and activities on the ISM roadmap are also discussed. In the near term, these activities lead to the development of a multimaterial fabrication laboratory for the International Space Station, a unit capable of processing multiple materials and performing part inspection. In the long term, they represent a key foundational step on the path to reducing dependence on earth and making humanity a space-faring species.


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    Titel :

    Multimaterial Fabrication Laboratory: In-Space Manufacturing as an Enabling Technology for Long Endurance Human Space Flight


    Beteiligte:
    T. Prater (Autor:in) / N. Werkheiser (Autor:in)

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2017


    Format / Umfang :

    11 pages


    Medientyp :

    Report


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch