Enterprise In Space and Made In Space are hosting a competition for students to 3D print a design aboard the ISS.
The NewSpace industry is just starting to take shape, and while we still have a long way to go before there are settlements on Mars, a number of exciting developments have occurred to reignite interest in space exploration. Companies like SpaceX may build the spacecraft to carry us to Mars, but in-space manufacturing will be necessary for constructing much of the equipment when we’re there.
Several firms are working to get 3D printers into space, including Tethers Unlimited and Anisoprint, but so far, the only company to send the technology away from Earth successfully is Made In Space, which has installed two 3D printers aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Now, NewSpace education program Enterprise InSpace (EIS) is leveraging the first commercial 3D printer in space, the Additive Manufacturing Facility from Made In Space, to launch a competition for university and postgraduate students to 3D print a design aboard the ISS.
With the Kepler Space Institute, Made In Space, 3D Hubs, Sketchfab and Prairie Nanotechnology, EIS is hosting the Print the Future competition, in which student teams are invited to submit 3D-printable designs that will drive forward innovation of in-space manufacturing and NewSpace technologies. The idea is that the next generation of engineers and scientists could create a design that would actually aid humanity in its expansion throughout the cosmos. The team with the best design will have its model 3D printed aboard the ISS and returned to Earth for further study.
To enter, student teams are directed to sign up at the Print the Future page, where they are asked to donate $20 per team member to EIS, making them a Virtual Crew Member aboard the NSS Enterprise, a 3D-printed spacecraft that EIS intends to launch into Earth orbit in the near future. Students that cannot afford the $20 donation are asked to email ISS@enterpriseinspace.org.
Once the teams are registered, they will be emailed further instructions and a free Pro account to the popular 3D modeling community Sketchfab, where they will ultimately upload their 3D designs. The teams are also encouraged to 3D print prototypes of their models on 3D Hubs, the largest network of 3D printing services, though top-ten and top-three finalist teams will be able to prototype their models for free.
In addition to 3D printing a design on the ISS, the winning team will also be awarded up to three $5,000 scholarships to the Kepler Space Institute and will be able to examine the printed design with technology from Prairie Nanotechnology.
The entry period closes February 2017, giving serious entrants plenty of time to submit designs. Though the competition may seem geared towards engineers and scientists, there may be artists and others that could think outside the box in ways that might really encourage space settlement. For more information about the competition, head to the Print the Future page or watch the video below.
