NASA’s ambitiousArtemis programwill see two astronauts returning to the surface of the moon for the first time sinceApollo 17 touched down in December of 1972. To achieve this by 2024, the U.S. space agency has commissioned three private aerospace companies to design and manufacture human landing systems (HLS) for the mission.SpaceX,蓝色， 和Dynetics, a subsidiary ofLeidos，已经开始工作conceptualizing their human carriers which the astronauts will use to land on and take off from our lunar neighbor.
在Dynetics团队中，许多较小的分包商将在Dynetics的HLS的发展中扮演特定但至关重要的角色 - 其中之一是Tuskegee。作为该项目唯一位于大学的学者团队，图斯基吉大学’s engineering researchers will oversee the testing and evaluation of additively manufactured parts for the lunar lander.
Dynetics太空系统副总裁Kim Doering表示：“ Dynetics很兴奋地领导这支专家分包商团队，该团队将使美国人将美国人带到月球表面。该团队具有卓越的技术历史，他们的贡献将极大地利用太空探索的未来。”
3D printing the Artemis lunar lander
The Tuskegee team will carry out tensile and fatigue testing on the lander’s 3D printed components, evaluating their quality, durability, and suitability for the harsh environments outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The researchers will also be carrying out metallurgical evaluations from scratch, as 3D printed materials and parts carry new challenges in their standardization and certification. The studies will help establish the currently unknown relationships between the microstructure, processing, and properties of the 3D printed parts.
Dr. Heshmat Aglan, dean of Tuskegee’s College of Engineering, explains: “Tuskegee University is proud to join this illustrious team helping the nation land astronauts on the moon by 2024. Our College of Engineering’s state-of-the-art facilities in additive manufacturing and materials processing and characterization have placed us in a strong position to join such a significant undertaking. This project provides real-time engineering opportunities as the College of Engineering educates the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Dynetics’ HLS
The crew module of the Dynetics human lander will accommodate two crew members on missions from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon and back. Included within this is surface habitation capabilities for about a week. Alternatively, the HLS can be used to transport four suited crew members to or from the surface of the moon with no pit stop. The final design will be launched on the Space Launch System Block 1B vehicle. For future commercial launches, the HLS will be able to hitch a ride on联合发射联盟的Vulcan Centaur火箭。
随着视野扩大了昨天的技术局限性，我们看到航空航天行业开始采用3D打印来制造关键任务零件。去年，metal 3D printing specialistFabrisonic, along with optical sensor specialistLuna Innovations, was contracted by NASA to help gather data cryogenic fuel pipe data during rocket tests. The team used UAM technology to3D print sensors directly into the wallsof the tested fuel pipes. Elsewhere, in California,相对性空间确保其新的120,000平方英尺的总部开始工作3D打印零件的火箭 - Terran 1.
The nominations for the2020 3D Printing Industry Awards现在打开。您认为谁应该成为今年演出的入围名单？现在有你的发言权。
Subscribe to the3D打印行业newsletterfor the latest news in additive manufacturing. You can also stay connected by following us on推特and liking us onFacebook.
Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit3D打印作业在行业中选择一系列角色。
Featured image shows human lander on the surface of the moon. Image via Dynetics.
