Astronauts on the International Space Station have used a 3D printer to create a new wrench, after Nasa emailed them instructions.
This marks the first time that NASA has emailed an object to space.
Before 3D printing, if astronauts needed something that wasn’t already aboard the ISS, they would have to wait several months for the next shuttle to arrive.
Now scientists and engineers on the ground can design whatever the astronauts might need, and send the file directly to the 3D printer aboard the ISS to be printed and used immediately.
The problem arose when International Space Station (ISS) commander Barry Wilmore mentioned on the radio he needed a ratcheting socket wrench.
He was overheard by a Californian company, Made In Space, who designed the 3D printer on board the space station. The printer was sent up two months ago – and first created a replacement part for itself.
Founder of Made In Space Mike Chen told the BBC: “We had overheard ISS Commander Barry Wilmore (who goes by “Butch”) mention over the radio that he needed one, so we designed one in CAD and sent it up to him faster than a rocket ever could have.”
“We will use them to characterise the effects of long-term microgravity on our 3D-printing process, so that we can model and predict the performance of objects that we manufacture in space in the future,” Chen told Wired.