SECTION TITLE
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
3D PRINTING IN
Sabrina Kerber shares what she learned from her astronaut mission
Space Agency (ESA) funded Euro Moon Mars Initiative (EMM), the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) and the International Moon Base Alliance (IMA). It took place at the renowned Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) habitat. For two weeks, our international crew of astronauts lived, worked and researched in this habitat just like astronauts on the moon. In addition to being completely isolated
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from ‘Earth’, the simulation included eating food made from freeze-dried ingredients, leaving the habitat only on approved extravehicular activities (EVA) while wearing spacesuits with integrated life support systems, and being restricted to eight minutes of shower time per week – all while conducting scientifi c experiments. As a crew engineer, I was responsible
for fi xing anything that broke in the habitat and maintaining all technical equipment. However, I also brought my own research to the base, one of which was a collaborative project with MakerBot to investigate how 3D printing could be used
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www.engineerlive.com
n December 2019, I embarked on a simulated astronaut mission in Hawai’i. T e EMMIHS-II mission is a collaboration between the European
SPACE Simulated moonscape
to improve life on a moonbase. I decided to test the MakerBot Method 3D printer and its reliability on a space mission. Our crew of six tested various operations, ranging from medical procedures to aspects of habitability and astronaut performance. T e simulation was set in an isolated, confi ned and extreme environment to recreate the harsh milieu of an extra- terrestrial destination, such as the moon.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME In the HI-SEAS habitat’s engineering bay – in between spacesuits, life support systems and all kinds of technical tools – the 3D printer found its temporary home on the moon. T e Method platform was tested and implemented as a tool for printing any necessary replacement parts or missing appliances, such as drone propeller holders and tweezers. T e need for propeller
Method X being used on the simulated mission
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