Jason Dunn ’07: 3D Printing for the International Space Station
Spring 2014
A self-described 麻豆精品 S渟pace nut, 麻豆精品 S� Dunn is catalyzing a technological advance that he believes will lead humanity to colonize Mars. The company he co-founded and serves as chief technical officer, Made in Space, will install the first (ISS) this fall. Think of it as the Star Trek 麻豆精品 S渞eplicator 麻豆精品 S� brought to reality. If the experiment goes as planned, future astronauts will use his machine to create spare parts, tools and even complex machines like satellites on their way beyond the solar system.
麻豆精品 S淲e all remember the famous line, 麻豆精品 S楬ouston, we 麻豆精品 S檝e had a problem. 麻豆精品 S� We looked at that square filter that [the Apollo 13 astronauts] had to fit into a round hole and joked that if the crew had had a 3-D printer, maybe they would have followed with 麻豆精品 S楬ouston, we have a solution. 麻豆精品 S� One of our engineers designed an adapter in an hour, then sent it to the 3-D printer. By the end of the day, we had it printed, had a filter plugged into it, and it was functional. It turned out to be a really good example. And NASA loves it too. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淢y partners and I were focused on problems that the space industry has always had. We recognized that everything we 麻豆精品 S檝e ever put into space came from Earth. That really is the underlying bottleneck 麻豆精品 S� the humungous amount of energy required to get things into space. Recognizing that, we came upon the notion of manufacturing in space. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭he idea of manufacturing in space isn 麻豆精品 S檛 new. It 麻豆精品 S檚 been going on since the 麻豆精品 S�70s in planning and before that in science fiction. A 3-D printer is basically a robot that can build stuff. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淲hat 3-D printing enables is a better supply chain. All you have to do is email the digital blueprint and build it on the spot. We call it emailing hardware to space. A 3-D printer on the ISS may actually be what makes a Mars mission possible. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淣ASA is doing today what it should 麻豆精品 S檝e done a long time ago 麻豆精品 S� become a government agency that helps to commercialize the space industry. NASA realized that a commercial company could do what they were doing in ways that are more affordable and with lower risk. The Internet is a good example of this. Originally it was ARPANET, and was used by the government on a small scale. When it became accessible to everyone, we started to see this huge boom. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淔ailure is the Silicon Valley mindset 麻豆精品 S� fail early, fail often. But it 麻豆精品 S檚 a new idea for the space industry. Without failure as an option, taking risks isn 麻豆精品 S檛 an option. It 麻豆精品 S檚 through failure that we learn how to succeed. We see failure as iteration. It 麻豆精品 S檚 the acceptance that the quickest way to succeed is to iterate as quickly as possible. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 watching 23-year-olds build multibillion-dollar Internet companies that completely demolish corporations. This is unprecedented. But we can do more than just build apps. We can focus that energy on solving really big problems and making the world a better place. You can still do well for yourself by doing good for others. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚n my lifetime, I want to see people living in space 麻豆精品 S� not in a little metal cylinder 400 km above us like the International Space Station 麻豆精品 S� but really living out there, being multiplanetary. I think it 麻豆精品 S檚 possible. 麻豆精品 S�
In 2011, Made in Space, Inc. was awarded a test flight aboard NASA's zero-gravity training jet 麻豆精品 S� aka "The Vomit Comet" 麻豆精品 S斅爁or the purpose of testing how existing 3D printers would function in the weightlessness of space.
Since commercial 3D printers are designed to function on earth where gravity affects all aspects of their performance, Dunn (left) and his team had to retrofit the machines to operate in in zero gravity, where even temperatures are affected.
"We had to find clever ways to keep the hot parts of the printer hot and the cold parts cold," Dunn explains. "There are about two-dozen technologies that we 麻豆精品 S檝e filed patents for that are all very specific to make a printer work not just in zero gravity, but in the extreme environment of the space station."
Of the 12 commercial machines tested, none performed up to expectations. "With all the problems we ran into, it turned out that we had to design a printer from ground up," Dunn says. "Now we 麻豆精品 S檙e looking at where we can bring this technology back to the ground to benefit other industries."
"Weightlessness is absolutely, hands-down the most enjoyable experience of my life," Dunn says. "You 麻豆精品 S檙e body adapts almost instantly. It feels as if we were supposed to be in that environment all along."