NASA is partnering with Aerojet Rocketdyne to advance 3D printing technologies, known as metal additive manufacturing, for liquid rocket engines in landers and in-orbit stages/spacecraft.
NASA s First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars
A pre-launch photo of the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) system, which is now providing atmospheric measurements to engineers from Jezero Crater on Mars. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Full image and caption ›
Perseverance’s MEDA will help us understand how to prepare astronauts for a future on the Red Planet.
The weather often plays a role in our daily plans. You might put on a light jacket when the forecast calls for a cool breeze or delay your travel plans because of an impending storm. NASA engineers use weather data to inform their plans, too, which is why they’re analyzing the conditions millions of miles away on Mars.
Motiv Space Systems is Engineering the First Robotic Arm to Survive the Extreme Cold of the Moon
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PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Motiv Space Systems, in partnership with JPL, today announced the development of COLDArm, the first-in-kind robotic arm that will be built to survive the extreme cold of the Moon s South Pole ushering in a new era of extended space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
About COLDArm
COLDArm (short for Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm) is a vital component of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) a NASA program to send small robotic landers and rovers to the Moon, including its South Pole a region known for extremely cold temperatures in the dark of night.
By Hillary Smith
NASA’s Game Changing Development Program
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Future lunar landers might come equipped with 3D printed rocket engine parts that help bring down overall manufacturing costs and reduce production time. NASA is investing in advanced manufacturing – one of five industries of the future – to make it possible.
Through a series of hot-fire tests in November, NASA demonstrated that two additively manufactured engine components – a copper alloy combustion chamber and nozzle made of a high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy – could withstand the same extreme combustion environments that traditionally manufactured metal structures experience in flight.
“This 3D printed technology is a game-changer when it comes to reducing total hardware manufacturing time and cost,” said Tom Teasley, a test engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “These hot-fire tests are a critical step in preparing this hardware for use in