Outside the Box – The Materials Science in Space Workshop, July 2019
The 3-D printer that went up to the International Space Station NASA’s Artemis program is focused on sustainably exploring the Moon and preparing to send astronauts to Mars. Attendees of the Materials Science in Space Workshop gathered at the 2019 International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Atlanta to help define the next generation of materials research, including investigations and technology development to expand human exploration and scientific discovery farther into the solar system. Producing metals, glasses, and composites that will stand up to the rigors of spaceflight is important to the future of space exploration, as is creating manufacturing techniques that can make new tools and supplies aboard a spacecraft or on the surface of an uninhabited planet. The workshop participants explored a number of Earth applications as well, including stronger glasses, fiber optics, polymers, improving the flow of molten metals, lubrication, and pharmaceuticals. NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research...