NASA’s Expedition 48 Commander Conducts 3D Printing Experiment in Zero-Gravity

This past week, on NASA’s Destiny laboratory module, Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams began conducting an experiment to 3D print in zero gravity. After gathering the 3D printing payload hardware and setting it up in the lab’s Microgravity Science Glovebox, Williams began testing whether or not a 3D printer can work in the conditions of outer space. The experiment demonstrated that the 3D printer operated normally while in space, proving that the emerging technology may provide major benefits for deep-space crewed missions and in-space manufacturing. During Williams’ experimentation with 3D printing, his Russian crewmates, Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin, worked on a variety of other experiments, and also prepared a cargo ship for departure back into the Earth’s atmosphere this weekend.