爱达荷州的Makersat将由NASA推出，并使用3D打印来推进科学发现。该卫星是由一支由西北拿撒勒大学（NNU）组成的两名教授和四名学生组成的，他们在两年内开发了该设备。该研究项目将研究3D印刷材料在空间真空中的表现。
NNU学生Connor Nogales在接受爱达荷州当地新闻台的讲话时说：“We’d like to someday 3D print a spacecraft or a structure in space, and this satellite tests ‘how much material do we use?’ and ‘how much does it degrade in space?’” These are both important questions that must be resolved before 3D printing can become an integral part of space exploration.
The launch will be part of the ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) program and is led by NNU professor of electrical engineering Dr. Stephen Parke.
Makersat
NNU’s MakerSat is based on the CubeSat architecture, a miniaturized satellite composed of 10×10×11.35 cm cubic units.
Makersat的主要目的是将试点课程绘制为在空间规模更大的3D打印方面。该项目将测试3D打印材料ABS，ULTEM和NYLON的质量降解，并在轨道上拍摄地球的照片。在空间中使用3D打印的类似实验包括蜘蛛晶圆厂的建议3D打印是increasingly in use for satellite projects，如3DPI先前报道。
进入轨道后，Makersat将在接下来的十年中以超过17,000英里 /小时的速度绕地球旅行。“Every 100 minutes it will complete one path around the EarthNNU学生兼团队成员Braden Grim说。
If the project is successful the team will move onto MakerSat 1. This second satellite will be assembled on the International Space Station (ISS) from a 3D printed frame, fabricated in situ at ISS’s Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF).
可以找到有关该项目的更多信息here。
通过Sinclair Broadcasting Group的特色图像。
