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Yes, it's not a panacea. But it's a heck of a lot easier to store a generic supply of printer feedstock, than to store one (or more) of every part that might co
by snewman 15y ago
Yes, it's not a panacea. But it's a heck of a lot easier to store a generic supply of printer feedstock, than to store one (or more) of every part that might conceivably break.
Suppose that you expect 1% of all replaceable parts to break over some projected lifespan. Then the mass of feedstock required would be 1% of the mass of the replacement parts... and would take up less than 1% of the space.
- adamtmca 15y agoAh, good point. I was thinking that if you are bothering to ship up the feedstock why not just ship the spare parts themselves? But you are right, this would reduce the total mass they needed to lift to orbit.