3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing, is a technology based on digital model files, using powder granular inorganic or organic bondable materials to construct objects by layer-by-layer printing. With the acceleration of the pace of human exploration of outer space, 3D printing technology is very suitable for realizing the space manufacturing process from simple to complex and from scratch.
What can 3D printing in space do?
Space 3D printing mainly solves two problems:
(1) Help operate and maintain the spacecraft during flight. It mainly includes: manufacturing replacement parts for spacecraft in space, extending the life of spacecraft, and saving repeated launch costs; space recycling of materials, which can directly use aging and waste materials for remanufacturing, without consuming new materials, and can even use space Manufacturing parts from waste, saving costs and being environmentally friendly; manufacturing super-sized optical lenses that are difficult to launch on the ground in space.
(2) Establish a space base suitable for human survival. When human beings arrive on a new planet, basic necessities of life must be solved. First of all, to solve the problem of living, we can use local materials to print houses suitable for human habitation. The structure of the house needs to have the function of heat preservation, and can resist the attack of tiny fluids and cosmic ray radiation. Then there is the issue of eating, printing a sun room suitable for plant growth to grow food. The last is to print vehicles that humans can visit and communicate with each other.
Our country has a more ambitious plan, that is, after the manned moon landing is achieved, an international lunar research station will also be built. In March 2021, my country and Russia officially signed a memorandum of cooperation to jointly build a lunar base. At present, the south pole of the moon will be the best location for building a lunar base. Only after building a lunar base, can humans hope to obtain the most important resource on the moon - helium-3. If it is used for controllable nuclear fusion, its energy will be enough for humans to use for more than 10,000 years! Moreover, the gravity on the surface of the moon is only 1/6 of that of the earth. In the future, we will launch rockets here, and our spacecraft will fly farther!
Epilogue
How far is 3D printing in space from us? The answer to this question is that it is within reach. The continuous development of space 3D printing will make the moon bases that once existed in science fiction movies a reality, and our country will use this technology to realize more scientific imaginations that were once impossible in the near future.
