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Once we have a proper suite of in-orbit manufacturing (not just 3d printing a plastic part) it's going to be a straight up Cambrian explosion event for what tec

by Fordec 6y ago

Once we have a proper suite of in-orbit manufacturing (not just 3d printing a plastic part) it's going to be a straight up Cambrian explosion event for what technology we can design for a space environment by letting go of vibration tolerances, G force tolerances and rocket dimension constraints. The new ways to manufacture are cool, but the dropping of existing constraints is a dream for a potential new wave of creativity for both new problems to fix in a new environment, with orders of magnitude operational scale (Everything is still basically bespoke one offs, bar a number of companies I can count on my fingers) and how to create solutions for all that new scale entails.

avdlinde 6y ago
On a tangent here, but "not just 3d printing a plastic part" got me thinking. Scientists, instead of requesting time on Hubble, ask time for the 3DBuilderAndExperimenter, give it a blueprint and inputs/outputs, it runs, returns any results, and is recycled.
- Teever 6y ago
  The first scientist should ask the genie for more wishes, er, I mean, for the 3DbuilderAndExperimenter to build another 3DBuilderAndExperimenter
  - ben_w 6y ago
    Certainly, professor Von Neumann: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine We are such machines, so we know they’re possible to make, even though we don’t yet know how to make one on Earth let alone in space.
    - jhgorrell 6y ago
      But we only need to make one of them!
  - ctdonath 6y ago
    The “and is recycled” part puts a crimp in that plan. :-)
blueblisters 6y ago
There a bunch of things that could be perhaps easier manufactured in space. For example, being in orbit provides a few conditions ideal for semiconductor fabrication - no terrestrial vibrations, high vacuum, microgravity and high cleanliness. Of course we still need to develop process that uses a minimal amount of water and power to make it viable in orbit.

by Fordec 6y ago

avdlinde 6y ago

On a tangent here, but "not just 3d printing a plastic part" got me thinking. Scientists, instead of requesting time on Hubble, ask time for the 3DBuilderAndExperimenter, give it a blueprint and inputs/outputs, it runs, returns any results, and is recycled.

Teever 6y ago
The first scientist should ask the genie for more wishes, er, I mean, for the 3DbuilderAndExperimenter to build another 3DBuilderAndExperimenter
- ben_w 6y ago
  Certainly, professor Von Neumann: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine We are such machines, so we know they’re possible to make, even though we don’t yet know how to make one on Earth let alone in space.
  - jhgorrell 6y ago
    But we only need to make one of them!
- ctdonath 6y ago
  The “and is recycled” part puts a crimp in that plan. :-)

blueblisters 6y ago

There a bunch of things that could be perhaps easier manufactured in space. For example, being in orbit provides a few conditions ideal for semiconductor fabrication - no terrestrial vibrations, high vacuum, microgravity and high cleanliness. Of course we still need to develop process that uses a minimal amount of water and power to make it viable in orbit.