Space Colonization Part 03: 3D Printing The Future Colonies

diasdr (54)in #science • 7 years ago

3D Printing

Also called by many the 4th industrial revolution. 3D printing is a way to print (layer by layer construction) an object previously been made by many parts and in many days of manufacturing process, made in only a few hours and been consisted of one and only part. That's not it, you can also put less material by keeping the object as resilient as it was with the previous manufacturing process. Still that's not it, you can also print new kind of object doing the exact same job but not being symmetrical. That's natures 3D printing, never symmetrical always based on performance. We can now do it.

Why is 3D printing needed in space and colonies?

Well having a system failure is a bad thing, while your mission is manned is worse and not been able to solve the problem because the part you need doesn't exist in you spacecraft is the worst. 3D printing solves this problem making the processes of repairing as easy as it can be, it can print the part you need and the tools you need to place it in the right position. But why in colonies, well that even easier to answer, the hazards of the worlds that we want to colonize are going to be hard to overcome, we wont be able to build shelters from these hazards except if we have the right machines.

The advantage of 3D printing before humans get there

3D printers are going to build the shelters for the future colonists and all what is needed and can be build without a human. So making manufacturing process fast, giving the exact outcome we need, making it based on performance and actually copying nature will solve one of the greatest problems of Space Age.

How will the shelters be?

Well we are going to send on the surface of the moon and inflatable made on earth, after that the rover 3D printers are going to build around this shell with moon regolith, which is going to protect the colonists from space radiation and micrometeorites,We do have some designs from ESA for the Moon village colony (previous article). Here are some pics of how they might be in the future.