3D-printed rocket engine heralded a new era of space exploration

Date:

2017-06-01 12:30:08

Views:

3418

Rating:

1Like 0Dislike

Share:

3D-printed rocket engine heralded a new era of space exploration Source:

A Rocket that went into space from New Zealand on 25 may, was special. She not only became the first private launch of a platform, but was equipped with the engine almost fully assembled with the help of 3D printing. Perhaps this is not the first "3D-printed rocket into space" as you might think from the title, but it highlights how seriously this technique is the production of perceived space industry.

The team behind the rocket Electron American company RocketLab, they say that the engine was printed in 24 hours and has increased efficiency and performance in comparison with other systems. Exact details of the printed components yet. But probably many of them were designed to minimize weight while maintaining structural characteristics, while other components may have been optimized to provide efficient flow of liquid. These benefits — reducing weight and potential new projects — represent a significant part of why 3D printing should be place in space, and not the most recent.

3D printing, as we know, is great for creating complex shapes. For example, lattice structures are formed such as to weigh less, but to be as strong as and similar hard components. This allows you to create optimized, lightweight parts that were previously impossible or cost-effective to produce using more traditional approaches.

Microresearch Boeing is an example of how to bring to the extreme the approach to create mechanically strong structure, 99.9% consisting of air. Not all the process of three-dimensional printing can achieve, but even the weight savings of a few percent on airplanes and spacecraft can lead to great benefits through the use of less fuel.

3D printing tends to work best for the production of relatively small, complex parts, not large structures, in which the cost of material and processing costs outweighs any benefits. For example, a redesigned nozzle can enhance mixing of the fuel in the engine, which will lead to increased efficiency. The increased surface area of the heat shield using a patterned and not a flat surface can mean that heat is transferred more efficiently, which will reduce the risk of overheating.

These methods can also reduce the amount of material that gets wasted during production. This is important because aerospace components, usually made of expensive and rare materials. 3D printing can also produce the whole system at once, instead of multiple assembled parts. For example, NASA used it to reduce the components in one of their rocket injectors 115 to 2. In addition, 3D printers can easily make a small number of parts, as required by the space industry, without the need to create costly production tools.

the

In orbit

3D printers can also find application in the space where it is difficult to store a large number of parts and is difficult to find a replacement when you are thousands of miles away from Earth. On the International space station now has a 3D printer, so if something breaks, engineers can send the project to replace and astronauts in orbit it will print.

Today's printers work only with plastic, so it will likely be used for single instruments or fast moving parts like door handles. But when 3D printers will be able to work with other materials, their use will increase significantly. One day people in space would be able to produce their own food and even biological materials. Processing enterprises can also create parts from the broken parts.

Looking ahead, we can assume that 3D printers will be extremely useful when creating colonies. Places such as the Moon, you do not have sufficient quantities of traditional building materials, but the European space Agency has demonstrated that by using solar energy you can create "bricks" of lunar dust that would be a good start. Scientists are now thinking of how to shift this idea to 3D print and build a fully printed house on the moon.

To bring these applications into reality, we need to explore more materials and processes with which production components will withstand the harsh conditions of space. Engineers are also developing an optimized design and are looking for ways to test 3D-printed parts to prove that they are safe and reliable. Particularly, this prevents the gravity, or lack thereof. Many processes today use powders or liquids as raw materials, so we will have to devise cunning tricks to safely work with them in low or no gravity.

Will Require completely new materials and technologies. However studies show that three-dimensional printing will be increasingly used in space, even if fully printed spacecraft not fly in the near future. But the time will come.

Recommended

The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?

The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?

the Upcoming cosmonautics day is my favorite holiday. It marks the triumph of the human mind: in just four thousand years Homo Sapiens went from hunter-gatherers to space explorers. 12 April 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in ...

Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?

Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?

you Know what surprised me the most? The fact that we perceive the surrounding world as it is. Animals, plants, the laws of physics and the cosmos are perceived by many people as something so mundane and boring that they invent fairies, ghosts, monst...

Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system

Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system

In the cosmic ocean drifts a lot of mysteries about the existence of which we are unaware. One of these was uncovered five years ago, when astronomers have discovered a lonely star at a distance of 570 light years from Earth, the brightness of which ...

Comments (0)

This article has no comment, be the first!

Add comment

Related News

Mars, user survival: where to find food, water and shelter?

Mars, user survival: where to find food, water and shelter?

Classic sci-Fi stories about Mars often tell of bug-eyed Martians that invade the Earth for her precious resources. But the reality is that in the next twenty years — with all the technical and budgetary constraints — that the peo...

Japanese space Agency will visit the moons of Mars in 2024

Japanese space Agency will visit the moons of Mars in 2024

the Japanese aerospace exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to explore the moons of Mars in the 2020s. The goal is to collect samples from the surfaces of the moons, so the researchers could study the origin of these objects. it is Kno...

What do the hunters for asteroids?

What do the hunters for asteroids?

Sometimes people ask Carrie Nugent on the chances that the movie "Armageddon" in 1998 happens in real life, when scientists find that an asteroid the size of Texas is 18 days from hitting the surface of the Earth with all the cons...

The flight of the ship

The flight of the ship "Federation" are going to move for 2022

Earlier it was reported that a new spacecraft «Federation», which leads the development of RSC Energia, with our partners, will be issued and fully ready to fly already in 2021. But as it turned out, the timing of delive...

10 changes that will forever transform the familiar space

10 changes that will forever transform the familiar space

Many of us remember from childhood mnemonic the mnemonic "We'll Meet Tomorrow, My Young Companion, a New Planet", with which you can easily determine the location of the planets in the Solar system. In school we learned that the e...

The atmosphere of Jupiter surprised scientists

The atmosphere of Jupiter surprised scientists

the NASA Mission Juno ("Juno") has already surpassed all possible expectations. When it arrived at Jupiter last July after a five-year journey, the probe was the most distant from the Earth object, a solar powered and also flew fa...

The new Zealand startup has carried out the first launch of its space rocket

The new Zealand startup has carried out the first launch of its space rocket

Founder and CEO of Rocket Lab's Peter Beck next to a rocket Electron to Follow the first launches are always interesting. We have already written about the new Zealand company Rocket Lab, which built the rocket and Electron has lo...

Russian robot manipulators will travel to the ISS in 2021

Russian robot manipulators will travel to the ISS in 2021

the First prototypes of the robots designed to work outside the International space station, will be presented by developers from the Central research and experimental design Institute of robotics and technical Cybernetics (TSNII ...

In Loсkheed Martin came up with the concept of research bell-spider

In Loсkheed Martin came up with the concept of research bell-spider

specialists of the Corporation Loсkheed Martin introduced the concept of the spacesuit, which will help researchers to study the satellites of Mars. It differs from conventional spacesuits is that Loсkheed Martin variant has eight...

What is known about the ninth planet at the moment?

What is known about the ninth planet at the moment?

last year, the two astronomers studied the most distant object orbiting the Sun that we find in all time, when suddenly he saw something interesting. This ultra-long objects in the Kuiper belt, instead of having a randomly oriente...

10 places in the Universe where we are likely to find life

10 places in the Universe where we are likely to find life

the Question about the possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial life, scientists and ordinary people are asking more than a dozen years. Literally in everything, from works of art to the level of Spielberg in "E. T" and en...

The first test of the engine BE-4, Blue Origin has failed

The first test of the engine BE-4, Blue Origin has failed

recently the American company Blue Origin began bench tests of the engine BE-4, designed to be similar to the Russian RD-180. After a series of tests representatives of the company said that the trials ended with damage of equipme...

NASA is holding a contest to 3D print houses on other planets

NASA is holding a contest to 3D print houses on other planets

In the competition of 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge involves teams from various universities, but at the end of one of the stages of the event, the judges noted the two teams. The winners of startup Technology Branch has allocated ...

How to ensure the astronauts sleep?

How to ensure the astronauts sleep?

In one of the laboratories of the German volunteers pay for what they help to explore one of the most serious problems of space travel: how to ensure astronauts have the best sleep at night? Underground research laboratory surroun...

Before the flight to Mars, NASA will hold the annual manned mission to the moon

Before the flight to Mars, NASA will hold the annual manned mission to the moon

the Upcoming space missions to Mars have attracted the lion's share of the attention of media headlines in recent years, but before to visit the Red planet requires a lot more research. And that is why the space Agency NASA announ...

The head of Virgin Galactic: we're almost ready to start commercial space flights

The head of Virgin Galactic: we're almost ready to start commercial space flights

Virgin Galactic sir Richard Branson has said it is ready to begin space tourist flights. According to the latest announced plans, the company will try to carry out the first commercial launches before the end of 2018. most recent...

SpaceX has tested the main engine of the first stage of their heavy missiles

SpaceX has tested the main engine of the first stage of their heavy missiles

the Company SpaceX in the last 4 years promises to make the launch of its heavy rocket, the Falcon Heavy. And it looks like we waited. Recently the company published in «on Twitter» videos that may say that this system i...

#video of the day | On

#video of the day | On "Area 51" UFO filmed

Lovers of UFOlogy and conspiracy – this news is for you. American ufologists from enterprises Secure Team 10 at the border "Area 51" found several unidentified flying objects. In the video, which you can see above, it is possible ...

Began testing the stratospheric electroanalyt SolarStratos

Began testing the stratospheric electroanalyt SolarStratos

Swiss developers began testing solar aircraft designed to fly in the stratosphere. The first flight was at a height of 300 meters and lasted for about seven minutes. On the wings of the aircraft placed solar panels that produce e...

NASA decided to abandon the ISS and focus on Mars

NASA decided to abandon the ISS and focus on Mars

the American space Agency NASA has declared the need to reduce funding of the International space station to 2024 and redirect these funds to develop programs for training humans to Mars. "the ISS for NASA is a very serious issue...