With an eye toward future missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA has begun a project that seeks to improve and optimize space manufacturing through laser beam welding. This collaboration with Ohio State University seeks to understand and refine joining techniques in space, which could facilitate the construction of large structures and make repairs on the lunar surface.
Space manufacturing with laser beam welding
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center , in collaboration with researchers in Ohio, has been focusing on how vacuum and reduced gravity affect welding processes. The initiative is vital to long-term space plans because it would allow essential infrastructure to be created without the need to transport heavy fasteners from Earth. Marshall materials scientist Andrew O’Connor said, ” If we want structures to stay together on the Moon, we need to innovate in space welding methods .”
To test these techniques, the team has conducted welding experiments in microgravity conditions, using a commercial aircraft that simulates the lunar environment. During the flights, the team successfully carried out 69 welds , collecting valuable data on heat transfer, material behavior, and mechanical properties in atmosphere-free situations. This experimental approach, integrated with advanced computer simulations, is crucial to anticipating how welding techniques will perform in space.
NASA has not conducted welding tests or experiments in space since the Skylab mission in 1973. However, a resurgence of interest in space manufacturing has led to the development of new technologies, including practical welding methods and additive manufacturing . These innovations will not only streamline the construction of space habitats and protective structures for astronauts, but could also have industrial applications on Earth.
O’Connor stressed the importance of these advances: ” Laser beam welding gives us flexibility and could be the key to assembling robust structures in extraterrestrial environments .” In addition, the collaboration with Ohio State University has enabled the training of a new generation of engineers in aerospace technology, laying the foundations for a future in which manufacturing in space is a reality.
This effort, sponsored by NASA’s Research and Development Program and other agency branches, is set to transform the way infrastructure is built and maintained in space. As humanity prepares to return to the Moon and eventually explore Mars, the ability to weld and manufacture in space will be a critical advancement.
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Source: NASA
Photo: Shutterstock
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