jsc2020e003407 (9/27/2019) --- A preflight image of the Polymer Convection investigation the the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Polymer Convection examines the effect of gravity on formation and crystallization of Broadband Angular Selective Material (BASM). An optical material with the ability to control the reflection and absorption of light, BASM has applications in polymer packaging, optical films, solar power, and electronic displays. Improved fabrication methods could produce BASM films that are more durable and have better optical and mechanical properties.
NASA Glenn Researcher James Wu assembles a lithium-metal based battery lab cell incorporating a new solid polymer nanocomposite electrolyte developed at the center.
Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Anchorage dependent cells on STS-95 will be grown on beads similar to these cells produced during previous investigations. Recombinant proteins may offer the possibility of reducing or eliminating transplant rejections. Research by Synthecon, Inc. using the BioDyn Bioreactor will focus on the preliminary process for growing a proprietary recombinant protein that can decrease rejection of transplanted tissue. The cells producing this protein are anchorage dependent, meaning that they must attach to something to grow. These cells will be cultured in the bioreactor in a medium containing polymer microbeads. Synthecon hopes that the data from this mission will lead to the development of a commercial protein that will aid in prevention of transplant rejection.
Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Anchorage dependent cells on STS-95 will be grown on beads, similar to these cells produced during previous investigations. Recombinant proteins may offer the possibility of reducing or eliminating transplant rejections. Research by Synthecon, Inc. using the BioDyn Bioreactor will focus on the preliminary process for growing a proprietary recombinant protein that can decrease rejection of transplanted tissue. The cells producing this protein are anchorage dependent, meaning that they must attach to something to grow. These cells will be cultured in the bioreactor in a medium containing polymer microbeads. Synthecon hopes that the data from this mission will lead to the development of a commercial protein that will aid in prevention of transplant rejection.
POLYMERS EROSION AND CONTAMINATION EXPERIMENT TEAM
Rod Coil Co-polymer Technology
jsc2021e064550 (12/14/2021) --- Ashley Keeley tests the long-term performance of the adhesive binding the aluminum substrates to the housing material under wet conditions for the Determining the Efficacy of Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Microgravity (Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Space) investigation. Image courtesy of University of Idaho SPOCS Team.
jsc2021e064551 (12/14/2021) --- Kaitlyn Harvey presents a 3D printed stand used to load and seal the bacteria introduction devices during assembly of the final experimental apparatus for the Determining the Efficacy of Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Microgravity (Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Space) investigation. Image courtesy of University of Idaho SPOCS Team.
jsc2021e064549 (12/14/2021) --- Hannah Johnson solders the electrical circuitry that runs the Determining the Efficacy of Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Microgravity (Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Space) investigation autonomously aboard the International Space Station. Image courtesy of University of Idaho SPOCS Team.
jsc2021e064552 (12/14/2021) --- Preflight image of the apparatus for the Determining the Efficacy of Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Microgravity (Bacteria Resistant Polymers in Space) investigation. The University of Idaho’s Vandal Voyagers Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS) investigation focuses on bacteria-resistant materials in microgravity. Image courtesy of University of Idaho SPOCS Team.
An array of 4mm diameter Aerogel posts sandwiched between 1mm thick PMR-15, Polymer Matrix Composite panels
Participants in A Day with NASA at The Accelerator in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, included: (left to right) Marc Shoemaker with the NASA Stennis Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Office; Kay Doane with the NASA Stennis Office of Small Business Programs; Sandy Crist with the Mississippi Manufacturers Association Manufacturing Extension Program; Dr. Monica Tisack with the Mississippi Polymer Institute; Caitlyne Shirley with the Mississippi Polymer Institute; Top Lipski with the NASA Stennis Technology Transfer Expansion Team; Thom Jacks with the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Dawn Davis with the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate; Kelly McCarthy with the NASA Stennis Office of STEM Engagement; and Janet Parker with Innovate Mississippi.
Still photographs taken over 16 hours on Nov. 13, 2001, on the International Space Station have been condensed into a few seconds to show the de-mixing -- or phase separation -- process studied by the Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space. Commanded from the ground, dozens of similar tests have been conducted since the experiment arrived on ISS in 2000. The sample is a mix of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA or acrylic) colloids, polystyrene polymers and solvents. The circular area is 2 cm (0.8 in.) in diameter. The phase separation process occurs spontaneously after the sample is mechanically mixed. The evolving lighter regions are rich in colloid and have the structure of a liquid. The dark regions are poor in colloids and have the structure of a gas. This behavior carnot be observed on Earth because gravity causes the particles to fall out of solution faster than the phase separation can occur. While similar to a gas-liquid phase transition, the growth rate observed in this test is different from any atomic gas-liquid or liquid-liquid phase transition ever measured experimentally. Ultimately, the sample separates into colloid-poor and colloid-rich areas, just as oil and vinegar separate. The fundamental science of de-mixing in this colloid-polymer sample is the same found in the annealing of metal alloys and plastic polymer blends. Improving the understanding of this process may lead to improving processing of these materials on Earth.
iss065e454862 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
iss065e454868 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
iss065e454902 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
iss065e454878 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
Closeup of Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experiment trays is documented during STS-32 retrieval activity and photo survey conducted by crewmembers onboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102. Partially visible is the Polymer Matrix Composite Materials Experiment. In the background is the surface of the Earth.
iss065e454854 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
iss066e114140 (Jan. 12, 2022) --- ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Matthias Maurer swaps samples inside the Materials Science Laboratory, a physics research device that observes metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
iss065e454910 (10/11/2021) --- A crewmember inspects the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit. Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
iss065e454849 (10/11/2021) --- A view of the Edible Foam in the Food Processor Consumables Kit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Edible foam is made from PHA, a naturally occurring polymer synthesized by bacteria. It offers a high level of protection from isolated shocks and vibrations, which is particularly important during flights into space.
Polydiacetylenes are a unique class of highly conjugated organic polymers that are of interest for both electronic and photonic applications. Photodeposition from solutions is a novel process superior to those grown by conventional techniques. Evidence of this is seen when the films are viewed under a microscope; they exhibit small particles of solid polymer which form in the bulk solution, get transported by convection to the surface of the growing film, and become embedded. Also convection tends to cause the film thickness to be less uniform, and may even affect the molecular orientation of the films. The thrust of the research is to investigate in detail, both in 1-g and low-g, the effects of convection (and lack thereof) on this novel and interesting reaction. In this example, a portion of the substrate was blocked from exposure to the UV light by the mask, which was placed on the opposite side of the glass disk as the film, clearly demonstrating that photodeposition occurs only where the substrate is irradiated directly.
iss061e092274 (12/18/2019) --- A view of the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) in the Destiny module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) is used for basic materials research in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS). The MSL can accommodate and support diverse Experiment Modules. In this way many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, can be studied to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
iss072e280736 (Nov. 26, 2024) --- NASA astronauts (from left) Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore, both Expedition 72 flight engineers, pack external research hardware removed from the Kibo laboratory module's airlock. The hardware housed a variety of samples exposed to the vacuum of space such as polymers, photovoltaic devices, and more. The samples will be returned to Earth and examined to understand how space radiation, the extreme thermal environment, micrometeoroids, and more affect materials possibly benefitting the space industry.
jsc2019e053733 (9/12/2019) --- Preflight imagery of the Made in Space - Recycler. The Made in Space - Recycler will utilize polymer materials to produce filament that is transferred to Manufacturing Device to perform printing operations. This experiment shows the value of closing the loop between the printer and recycling materials utilized by the printer. This has implications for space conservation and deep space missions. Image courtesy of: Made In Space, Inc.
iss073e0071487 (May 15, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers swaps sample cartridges inside the Material Science Laboratory (MSL) that supports high temperature space physics research using furnaces aboard the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. The properties of many types of materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, can be studied in the MSL to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
iss066e086417 (Dec. 4, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Kayla Barron inspects cables inside the Materials Science Research Rack. The space physics research device enables the observation of many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, to study and discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
iss066e086431 (Dec. 4, 2021) --- NASA astronauts and Expedition 66 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Kayla Barron inspect cables inside the Materials Science Research Rack. The space physics device enables the observation of many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, to study and discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
iss065e081296 (May 28, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Megan McArthur reviews procedures to swap sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL). The MSL enables research into microgravity's affects on materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses. Observations may reveal new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
Researcher examines a tubular Aerogel material sample in its "green" state. Aerogels are among the lightest solid materials known to man. They are created by combining a polymer with a solvent to form a gel, and then removing the liquid from the gel and replacing it with air. Aerogels are extremely porous and very low in density. They are solid to the touch. This translucent material is considered one of the finest insulation materials available.
iss071e522745 (Aug. 19, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Mike Barratt swaps sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL), a research furnace facilitating discoveries of new and improved materials as well as new uses for existing materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, and more. The MSL is located inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module.
iss065e081297 (May 28, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Megan McArthur swaps sample cartridges inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) rack. The MSL enables observations of microgravity's impact on a variety metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
NASA Kennedy Space Center's Associate Director Kelvin Manning, center, signs a license agreement with the President and CEO of ecoSPEARS, which allows the company to commercially sell a soil remediation technology developed by a research team at Kennedy. The technology, known as Sorbent Polymer Extraction And Remediation System, is designed to capture and remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from contaminated sediments in waterways and wetlands.
iss073e0222463 (June 16, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim waves for a portrait while removing research hardware from inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) located inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. The MSL uses two different furnaces that operate one at a time to discover new applications for existing materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and new or improved materials.
iss073e0222456 (June 27, 2025) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim removes research hardware from inside the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) located inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module. The MSL uses two different furnaces that operate one at a time to discover new applications for existing materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and new or improved materials.
U.S. Patent plaques were awarded to, second from left, Luke Roberson, Trent Smith, Martha Williams and James Fesmire, for their invention, Aerogel/Polymer Composite Materials, known as Aeroplastic, during the 2017 Innovation Expo at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is Kelvin Manning, Kennedy's associate director; and at far right is Dave Makufka, Kennedy's Technology Transfer Program manager. The purpose of the annual two-day expo is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.
Thomas Lipscomb, a materials engineer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares a vacuum chamber for testing 3D printing inside the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at the spaceport’s Swamp Works on April 5, 2022. The testing is part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
Researchers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are developing a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer at the center's Swamp Works. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. This will prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The Kennedy team is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
NASA engineer Evan Bell prepares a vacuum chamber for testing 3D printing inside the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works in Florida on April 5, 2022. The testing is part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
Tom Lipski, NASA Stennis Technology Transfer Expansion team lead, speaks at the “A Day with NASA” event at The Accelerator in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Nov. 7. NASA speakers focused on providing updates on agency resources available to help companies grow and on different ways to do business with the agency. They also offered information about how businesses could build partnerships with the agency to commercialize NASA-developed technologies. Participants had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with members of the NASA Stennis business and technology team as well. The Mississippi Polymer Institute, with funding from the Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Manufacturing Extension Partnership, hosted the event.
Nathan Gelino, a principal investigator with the Exploration Research and Technology programs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares a vacuum chamber for testing 3D printing inside the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at Kennedy’s Swamp Works on April 5, 2022. The testing is part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
Engineer Matt Nugent prepares a vacuum chamber for testing 3D printing inside the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works in Florida on April 5, 2022. The testing is part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida test a 3D printer inside a vacuum chamber at the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab inside the spaceport’s Swamp Works, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project on April 5, 2022. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
A Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer is being developed by researchers in Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. This will prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The Kennedy team is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
A team of engineers and researchers prepares a vacuum chamber in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works for testing 3D printing, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project at the Florida spaceport on April 5, 2022. The project derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
A Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer is being tested at the Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. This will prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The Kennedy team is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
Researchers demonstrate a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer in Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. This will prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The Kennedy team is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida test a 3D printer inside a vacuum chamber at the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab inside the spaceport’s Swamp Works, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project on April 5, 2022. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
ss038e008298 (11/26/2013) --- A view of NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, during the Material Science Laboratory (MSL) Solidification and Quench Furnace (SQF) Sample Cartridge Exchange aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) is used for basic materials research in the microgravity environment of the ISS. The MSL can accommodate and support diverse Experiment Modules. In this way many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, can be studied to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved materials.
Astronaut Mike Fincke places droplets of honey onto the strings for the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) investigation onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FMVM experiment measures the time it takes for two individual highly viscous fluid droplets to coalesce or merge into one droplet. Different fluids and droplet size combinations were tested in the series of experiments. By using the microgravity environment, researchers can measure the viscosity or "thickness" of fluids without the influence of containers and gravity using this new technique. Understanding viscosity could help scientists understand industrially important materials such as paints, emulsions, polymer melts and even foams used to produce pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products.
Astronaut Mike Fincke places droplets of honey onto the strings for the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM) investigation onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The FMVM experiment measures the time it takes for two individual highly viscous fluid droplets to coalesce or merge into one droplet. Different fluids and droplet size combinations were tested in the series of experiments. By using the microgravity environment, researchers can measure the viscosity or "thickness" of fluids without the influence of containers and gravity using this new technique. Understanding viscosity could help scientists understand industrially important materials such as paints, emulsions, polymer melts and even foams used to produce pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products.
A team of engineers and researchers prepares a vacuum chamber in the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works for testing 3D printing, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project at the Florida spaceport on April 5, 2022. The project derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
Joseliz Perez, a NASA intern at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares a vacuum chamber for testing 3D printing inside the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at the spaceport’s Swamp Works on April 5, 2022. The testing is part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project, which derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity, with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge – collaborating with Kennedy teams to build 3D-printed test structures using a composite made from polymers and a regolith simulant in a vacuum chamber that mimics environmental conditions on the Moon.
Nathan Gelino, a NASA research engineer at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer in the center's Swamp Works that can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations here on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. Gelino and his team are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
Research engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer at the center's Swamp Works. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The group is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
Code R and Code D hosted NESC Principal Engineer Mike Kirsch who is Program Leader for Composite Crew Module (CCM). The purpose of the visit was to review/observe experiments that GRC is performing in support of the CCM program. The test object is the critical Low Impact Docking System/Tunnel interface joint that links the metal docking ring with the polymer composite tunnel element of the crew module pressure vessel. The rectangular specimens simulated the splice joint between the aluminum and the PMC sheets, including a PMC doubler sheet. GRC was selected for these tests due to our expertise in composite testing and our ability to perform 3D fullfield displacement and strain measurements of the complex bond geometry using digital image correlation. The specimens performed above their minimum load requirements and the full field strain measurements showed the strain levels at the critical bond line. This work is part of a joint Code D & R investigation.
Nathan Gelino, a NASA research engineer at Kennedy Space Center in Florida displays a 3-D printed cylinder used for compression testing. Engineers at the center’s Swamp Works measured how much force it takes to break the structure before moving on to 3-D printing with a simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. Next, Gelino and his group are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer that can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, even for troops in remote locations here on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses these pellets to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. Gelino and his team are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
Pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers are being used to test a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer in the Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses these pellets to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The group is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
NASA researcher Dr. Donald Frazier uses a blue laser shining through a quartz window into a special mix of chemicals to generate a polymer film on the inside quartz surface. As the chemicals respond to the laser light, they adhere to the glass surface, forming optical films. Dr. Frazier and Dr. Mark S. Paley developed the process in the Space Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. Working aboard the Space Shuttle, a science team led by Dr. Frazier formed thin-films potentially useful in optical computers with fewer impurities than those formed on Earth. Patterns of these films can be traced onto the quartz surface. In the optical computers of the future, thee films could replace electronic circuits and wires, making the systems more efficient and cost-effective, as well as lighter and more compact. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Research engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer at the center's Swamp Works. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The group is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
A Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer is being tested at the Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The group is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has designed and built an electronic nose system -- ENose -- to take on the duty of staying alert for smells that could indicate hazardous conditions in a closed spacecraft environment. Its sensors are tailored so they conduct electricity differently when an air stream carries a particular chemical across them. JPL has designed and built a 3-pound flight version (shown with palm-size control and data computer). The active parts are 32 sensors, each with a different mix of polymers saturated with carbon. When certain chemicals latch onto a sensor, they change how the sensor conducts electricity. This signal tells how much of a compound is in the air. The electronic nose flown aboard STS-95 in 1998 was capable of successfully detecting 10 toxic compounds.
A Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer is being tested at the Swamp Works at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The printer can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, and even for troops in remote locations on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses pellets made from simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. The group is working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
Nathan Gelino, a NASA research engineer at Kennedy Space Center in Florida displays a 3-D printed cylinder used for compression testing. Engineers at the center’s Swamp Works measured how much force it takes to break the structure before moving on to 3-D printing with a simulated lunar regolith, or dirt, and polymers. Next, Gelino and his group are working on a Zero Launch Mass 3-D printer that can be used for construction projects on the Moon and Mars, even for troops in remote locations here on Earth. Zero launch mass refers to the fact that the printer uses these pellets to prove that space explorers can use resources at their destination instead of taking everything with them, saving them launch mass and money. Gelino and his team are working with Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system that can 3-D print barracks in remote locations on Earth, using the resources they have where they are.
NASA research Dr. Donald Frazier uses a blue laser shining through a quartz window into a special mix of chemicals to generate a polymer film on the inside quartz surface. As the chemicals respond to the laser light, they adhere to the glass surface, forming opticl films. Dr. Frazier and Dr. Mark S. Paley developed the process in the Space Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. Working aboard the Space Shuttle, a science team led by Dr. Frazier formed thin-films potentially useful in optical computers with fewer impurities than those formed on Earth. Patterns of these films can be traced onto the quartz surface. In the optical computers on the future, these films could replace electronic circuits and wires, making the systems more efficient and cost-effective, as well as lighter and more compact. Photo credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover found preserved, ancient mud cracks that scientists believe were formed after long cycles of wet and dry conditions over many years. The discovery marks the first evidence of these wet-dry cycles on Mars. The cracks were found while the rover explored a transitional region between an area enriched with clay minerals and one enriched with sulfate minerals. The mud cracks were captured in this mosaic by Curiosity's Mastcam on June 20, 2021, the 3,154th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The mosaic is made up of 143 images that were stitched together after being sent back to Earth. The hexagonal shapes are similar to those found at locations on Earth such as Death Valley National Park's Racetrack playa. They form only after many years of alternating wet and dry conditions. When the mud cracks initially form, they have sharp, T-shaped angles within their "pits." After being gently rehydrated many times, those sharp angles soften into Y-shapes that become ridges as the rock is eroded. Evidence pointing to wet-dry cycles is exciting to Curiosity's scientists because while no one is exactly sure how life first forms, one prevailing theory suggests that these wet-dry cycles are supportive, perhaps even required. The conditions that sustain microbial life – a long-lasting lake, for example – differ from those that scientists think kickstart the chemical reactions that might lead to life. Driving those chemical reactions are long chains of carbon-based molecules called polymers, which require just the right conditions. Water is needed to mix chemicals into a soup, where they can react with one another. Too much water will dilute the soup, making it difficult for polymer-forming chemical reactions to occur; too little water, and the chemicals can't adequately mix and react. Wet-dry cycling can strike a balance between the two. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25915
Lisa Freed and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have taken the first steps toward engineering heart muscle tissue that could one day be used to patch damaged human hearts. Cells isolated from very young animals are attached to a three-dimensional polymer scaffold, then placed in a NASA bioreactor. The cells do not divide, but after about a week start to cornect to form a functional piece of tissue. Functionally connected heart cells that are capable of transmitting electrical signals are the goal for Freed and Vunjak-Novakovic. Electrophysiological recordings of engineered tissue show spontaneous contractions at a rate of 70 beats per minute (a), and paced contractions at rates of 80, 150, and 200 beats per minute respectively (b, c, and d). The NASA Bioreactor provides a low turbulence culture environment which promotes the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. The Bioreactor is rotated to provide gentle mixing of fresh and spent nutrient without inducing shear forces that would damage the cells. Due to their high level of cellular organization and specialization, samples constructed in the bioreactor more closely resemble the original tumor or tissue found in the body. NASA-sponsored bioreactor research has been instrumental in helping scientists to better understand normal and cancerous tissue development. In cooperation with the medical community, the bioreactor design is being used to prepare better models of human colon, prostate, breast and ovarian tumors. Cartilage, bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver and kidney are just a few of the normal tissues being cultured in rotating bioreactors by investigators. The work is sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. The bioreactor is managed by the Biotechnology Cell Science Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). Credit: NASA and MIT.
Lisa Freed and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have taken the first steps toward engineering heart muscle tissue that could one day be used to patch damaged human hearts. Cells isolated from very young animals are attached to a three-dimensional polymer scaffold, then placed in a NASA bioreactor. The cells do not divide, but after about a week start to cornect to form a functional piece of tissue. Here, a transmission electron micrograph of engineered tissue shows a number of important landmarks present in functional heart tissue: (A) well-organized myofilaments (Mfl), z-lines (Z), and abundant glycogen granules (Gly); and (D) intercalcated disc (ID) and desmosomes (DES). The NASA Bioreactor provides a low turbulence culture environment which promotes the formation of large, three-dimensional cell clusters. The Bioreactor is rotated to provide gentle mixing of fresh and spent nutrient without inducing shear forces that would damage the cells. Due to their high level of cellular organization and specialization, samples constructed in the bioreactor more closely resemble the original tumor or tissue found in the body. NASA-sponsored bioreactor research has been instrumental in helping scientists to better understand normal and cancerous tissue development. In cooperation with the medical community, the bioreactor design is being used to prepare better models of human colon, prostate, breast and ovarian tumors. Cartilage, bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver and kidney are just a few of the normal tissues being cultured in rotating bioreactors by investigators. The work is sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research. The bioreactor is managed by the Biotechnology Cell Science Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). Credit: MIT
NASA image release August 23, 2012 What looks like a giant golden spider weaving a web of cables and cords, is actually ground support equipment, including the Optical Telescope Simulator (OSIM), for the James Webb Space Telescope. OSIM's job is to generate a beam of light just like the one that the real telescope optics will feed into the actual flight instruments. Because the real flight instruments will be used to test the real flight telescope, their alignment and performance first have to be verified by using the OSIM. Engineers are thoroughly checking out OSIM now in preparation for using it to test the flight science instruments later. This photo was taken from inside a large thermal-vacuum chamber called the Space Environment Simulator (SES), at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Engineers have blanketed the structure of the OSIM with special insulating material to help control its temperature while it goes into the deep freeze testing that mimics the chill of space that Webb will ultimately experience in its operational orbit over 1 million miles from Earth. The golden-colored thermal blankets are made of aluminized kapton, a polymer film that remains stable over a wide range of temperatures. The structure that looks like a silver and black cube underneath the "spider" is a set of cold panels that surround OSIM's optics. During testing, OSIM's temperature will drop to 100 Kelvin (-280 F or -173 C) as liquid nitrogen flows through tubes welded to the chamber walls and through tubes along the silver panels surrounding OSIM's optics. These cold panels will keep the OSIM optics very cold, but the parts covered by the aluminized kapton blankets will stay warm. "Some blankets have silver facing out and gold facing in, or inverted, or silver on both sides, etc.," says Erin Wilson, a Goddard engineer. "Depending on which side of the blanket your hardware is looking at, the blankets can help it get colder or stay warmer, in an environmental test." Another reason for thermal blankets is to shield the cold OSIM optics from unwanted stray infrared light. When the OSIM is pointing its calibrated light beam at Webb's science instruments, engineers don't want any stray infrared light, such as "warm photons" from warm structures, leaking into the instruments' field of view. Too much of this stray light would raise the background too much for the instruments to "see" light from the OSIM—it would be like trying to photograph a lightning bug flying in front of car headlights. To get OSIM's optics cold, the inside of the chamber has to get cold, and to do that, all the air has to be pumped out to create a vacuum. Then liquid nitrogen has to be run though the plumbing along the inner walls of the chamber. Wilson notes that's why the blankets have to have vents in them: "That way, the air between all the layers can be evacuated as the chamber pressure drops, otherwise the blankets could pop," says Wilson. The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb is the successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Webb's four instruments will reveal how the universe evolved from the Big Bang to the formation of our solar system. Webb is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Chris Gunn <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>