Future Solutions: 3D Printing Device For Space

Exploration
Albert Lepree, Brendan Chase, Jose Alvarez, Zachery Danis

Opportunity Societal Challenges

• This device is intended for mass implementation, which will

• Establish technology to make space exploration less expensive,
safer, and more efficient
• Relevant customers are private investors, government agencies,
human astronauts, and taxpayers
• Technology reduces the cost of transporting mission related
payload to mission destination, provides new mission related
objects immediately, and will be interchangeable to any type of
mission at varying dates
Solution
require a large base investment
• Another potential societal challenge, there may be an
environmental challenge regarding the fuel used in space travel.
This could be extremely pricey or bad for the environment, in
which case a new fuel source may be needed space travel
• Due to the autonomous nature of the device and
implementation, it will be difficult convincing people to trust
human safety to a machine
• As the ability to explore space extends, there may be conflicts
as different countries and political groups want to gain control of
new territory(ies)

The 3D Printing Device:

• Designed from preexisting materials used on current planetary

Technologies: Rover Attachment
surface vehicles • The rover attachment is a
cheap, light, portable, and
• Operational in varying extreme environments efficient device that can be
transported easily to any
• Life Cycle: accessible location
• Arrives at destination
• Based on traditional 3D
• Begins creating mission printers, the device will use
related objects prior to raw material to construct any
astronaut arrival predesigned 3D object for Standard Large 3D Printer
mission use
• Creates any requested objects
in real time
• The device will receive power
• Can be stationed and used for and input from the space
any future missions, running vehicle it is attached to,
on solar energy allowing it to function as long
as the solar powered energy
Societal Impact cells are functioning

• Reducing the amount of required payload per mission would

reduce the overall amount of fuel used; this is important as fossil • Using an Earth to Planet 3D Printing Device Model
fuels are damaging to the environment communication system, the
3D printer can receive
• As space exploration becomes more accessible, space updated instruction for the
economies will develop, leading to entirely new industries; 3-night current or a future mission;
stay at the Marriott Station anyone? can work on multiple
missions simultaneously

+
3D Printing Device Model

• As the ability to explore space extends, there may be unions References

between nations t combine resources to venture into the new
territories
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Exploration_Rover#/media/File:NASA_Mars_Rover.jpg
Rover Body. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/body/
Mars Exploration Rovers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from
https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/
3D Printing: The Future of Construction. (2019, September 03). Retrieved November 16,
2020, from https://www.3dnatives.com/en/3d-printing-construction-310120184/