NASA 'Emails' a Socket Wrench To the ISS

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NASA 'Emails' a Socket Wrench To the ISS

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday December 20, 2014 @07:16PM from the hardware-as-a-service dept.

HughPickens.com writes: "Sarah LeTrent reports at CNN that NASA just emailed the design of a socket wrench to astronauts so that they could print it out in the orbit. The ratcheting socket wrench was the first "uplink tool" printed in space, according to Grant Lowery, marketing and communications manager for Made In Space, which built the printer in partnership with NASA. The tool was designed on the ground, emailed to the space station and then manufactured where it took four hours to print out the finished product. The space agency hopes to one day use the technology to make parts for broken equipment in space and long-term missions would benefit greatly from onboard manufacturing capabilities. "I remember when the tip broke off a tool during a mission," recalls NASA astronaut TJ Creamer, who flew aboard the space station during Expedition 22/23 from December 2009 to June 2010. "I had to wait for the next shuttle to come up to bring me a new one. Now, rather than wait for a resupply ship to bring me a new tool, in the future, I could just print it."

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My sockets are made of high quality steel by Todd+Palin · 2014-12-20 19:22 · Score: 3, Insightful

I really wouldn't want to use a plastic socket on much of anything. But, why on earth was there not a decent socket set on the ISS in the first place? (pun intended)
1. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-20 19:35 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Tools break. Unforeseen circumstances happen. Snobs troll slashdot.
2. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by LostMyBeaver · 2014-12-20 20:03 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  There almost certainly was a socket wrench available. The point is that a socket wrench is a highly complex tool that depends on precision and rigidity to produce. The fact that the multiple components of a socket wrench could in fact be printed is a major accomplishment. A hammer or screwdriver would not have been an appropriate test. This was.
  
  The question is, after printing it, was the produced wrench a suitable alternative and could it accomplish the task it was needed for. ABS, even in the resolution and density they're printing isn't very rigid. I have seen a great deal of information regarding the fact that the tool was printing and more so, how excited everyone was that Autodesk Inventor was used. What I haven't seen is whether ABS used :
  1) had a negative impact to the air quality and scrubbers on the ISS. The ABS I use (even stuff I specially looked for) produces a great deal of noxious fumes. I tend to print with the windows open.
  2) The printout was rigid enough to be useful as a tool. I have absolutely no doubt that making extra parts for the station is entirely possible and smarter than keeping spare parts for everything. But did they manage to produce a wrench worth using?
  
  As a bonus... can they release the design they printed as a benchmark for the hobbyist community to use for making their own improved printers. The high resolution photos of the wrench looked great.
3. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by thegarbz · 2014-12-20 20:08 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I really wouldn't want to use a plastic socket on much of anything.
  Really? Because I would give my left kidney for it if having one would save my life. I don't think anyone actually sent this print up there because they don't have one. There's these things called "proof of concept".A lot of slashdot readers seem to be unfamiliar with the concept.
4. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 20:16 · Score: 2
  
  From the pictures in the link, it looks like the 3D printer is completely closed off and has its own air filter.
5. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by _merlin · 2014-12-20 20:42 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It isn't on earth, dumbarse. It's a space station.
6. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by ArmoredDragon · 2014-12-20 21:03 · Score: 1
  
  So why in the universe then? Or maybe why in the milky way? Or maybe why in the sol system?
7. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 21:04 · Score: 2
  
  If you attach a metal socket, it's probably quite capable.
  
  I wouldn't expect a lot. I snapped the solid steel drive on a 1/2" ratchet right off the last time I did my brakes trying to get a frozen caliper bolt out . It took an 18" breaker bar with a 3/4" drive in combination with a floor jack to get enough torque on the breaker bar to finally get the bolt loose. I don't foresee an ABS tool handling that kind of stress.
  
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8. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 21:44 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  It's more a skimming just above the atmosphere-station.
9. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 21:49 · Score: 1
  
  Who cares about your contrived example ? They're in the ISS, where everything is assembled with white gloves and torque wrenches. They're not fixing rusty old cars.
10. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 22:39 · Score: 1
  
  It's not a contrived (that means "unlikely and made up for the purposes of the argument", BTW) example - it actually did happen, and happens more often than you might think. Just because a good portion of the ISS was built under ideal conditions doesn't mean that fasteners can't stick. There are parts that have been in space for more than 15 years, after all.
  
  But to respond to your statement directly, no, a metal socket isn't going to help the first bit when the drive, ratchet, or handle is made of a flimsy plastic like ABS or PLA, even if it's injection molded. If the fastener is hard enough to turn that it breaks an ABS socket, then it's going to break the wrench instead when you use a steel socket on it.
  
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11. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by thegarbz · 2014-12-20 22:48 · Score: 2
  
  But to respond to your statement directly, no, a metal socket isn't going to help the first bit when the drive, ratchet, or handle is made of a flimsy plastic like ABS or PLA, even if it's injection molded. If the fastener is hard enough to turn that it breaks an ABS socket, then it's going to break the wrench instead when you use a steel socket on it.
  Are you a mechanical engineer? It certainly doesn't sound like it when you jump to the conclusion that the largest and sturdiest part of a tool would fail before the fine tool end that contacts the nut.
  A metal tool-end most definitely WOULD help and make the resulting tool far more sturdy.
12. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 22:53 · Score: 1
  
  If the fastener is hard enough to turn that it breaks an ABS socket, then it's going to break the wrench instead when you use a steel socket on it.
  No, because the force = torque / arm, so the force increases as you get closer to the nut/screw. Try this socket for example: http://www.vartools.com/images... It's obvious that the forces on the socket/bit are much greater than the forces on the wrench.
13. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 22:54 · Score: 1
  
  it actually did happen, and happens more often than you might think
  Not on space stations.
14. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 22:59 · Score: 1
  
  so the force increases as you get closer to the nut/screw.
  
  You're absolutely right, which means the *ratchet and drive* are under the highest stress.
  
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15. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 23:04 · Score: 1
  
  It certainly doesn't sound like it when you jump to the conclusion that the largest and sturdiest part of a tool would fail before the fine tool end that contacts the nut.
  
  I'm not an M.E., but I've seen enough drives/ratchets break with intact sockets (and no, they weren't impact sockets) to know that one can't make that statement categorically.
  
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16. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 23:10 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, on space stations.
  
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17. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 23:10 · Score: 1
  
  In some cases, maybe. But that's hardly a practical concern because you can simply print a wrench without a ratchet if you need the extra strength.
18. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by itzly · 2014-12-20 23:13 · Score: 1
  
  Still doesn't happen more often than I might think.
19. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-20 23:14 · Score: 1
  
  Absolutely, assuming you have the room to turn it and can otherwise get the wrench onto the fastener.
  
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20. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-20 23:52 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  They likely printed it with Titanium.
  It would however use far less energy to use a CNC machine. Laser sintering should be reserved for very complex parts that cannot be machined.
  Spontaneously regular milling in space sounds like a really bad idea to me.
  First of all the base material cost is very high in space so methods that creates large amounts of leftovers will be very expensive. Not only do you have the high cost of transporting material that you won't use, you also need to store that material.
  Then we have the problem of managing leftover particles in microgravity, you don't want a risk of those going anywhere. At that point I'm not entirely sure that you assessment that it requires less energy is correct.
21. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-21 00:32 · Score: 1
  
  3d printers are working in metals now. Carbon fiber as well.
  
  The one in question doesn't, so this statement is irrelevant to the discussion.
  
  I don't know how to deal with someone with so little vision that they can't understand the value of fabricating tools on site when the alternative costs thousands of dollars a pound and has turn-around measured in months.
  
  Spend as much time as I have in tool manufacturing facilities and working with engineers to optimize production processes (including 3D sintering, which already was old news 10 years ago), and then once you've done that, go back and read the original post and explain where "little vision" comes from. I said nothing regarding 3D prototyping/manufacturing in general, but you'd know that if you actually read what I wrote.
  
  " So I'd ask you to just stay away from the Internet."
  
  Says the AC. Whatever, dude.
  
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22. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by JaredOfEuropa · 2014-12-21 00:32 · Score: 1
  
  "The best socket wrench is the one you have on you"
  
  --
  If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
23. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by drinkypoo · 2014-12-21 00:32 · Score: 1
  
  I recently broke a Craftsman 1/2" to 3/8" socket drive adapter by breaking off the 3/8 drive nub, but it took a cheater bar to supply sufficient force.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
24. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by drinkypoo · 2014-12-21 00:34 · Score: 1
  
  You're absolutely right, which means the *ratchet and drive* are under the highest stress.
  Those parts are bigger than the output. The highest force is applied to the output, not the ratcheting mechanism, because the output is of lesser diameter.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
25. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-21 00:39 · Score: 2
  
  If a finer part of the tool survived but a thicker broke, doesn't it seem very plausible that the tool was either badly designed or that the manufacturer have problems in their molding process.
  
  I guarantee that was the case (although steel hand tools are generally forged, not molded) - it's not like I was using a high-end Snap-On wrench. Just the same, the crappiest steel tool is going to be stronger than any ABS tool of comparable dimensions.
  
  You are talking about managing to break a hand powered tool. With a good design that have been correctly manufactured that shouldn't be possible. Plastic or steel, it is perfectly possible to create ratchets strong enough that your arm will break before the tool.
  
  I also mentioned that the bolt was tight enough to require a floor jack to get enough torque on it, so it was under far more torque than any person could apply. That *still* should not have been adequate to break the drive, but it did. It's possible to make very strong ratchets with a variety of plastics in a size readily usable as a hand tool, but neither ABS nor PLA is one of them
  
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26. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-21 00:59 · Score: 1
  
  Those parts are bigger than the output. The highest force is applied to the output, not the ratcheting mechanism, because the output is of lesser diameter.
  
  That's assuming that the fastener is the smallest element in the system, and things get worse very quickly when the fastener is substantially bigger than the drive. In my particular case, it was a 1/2" drive on an 18mm socket, and it was the drive that broke. The size of the ratchet head was about an inch, so I'm guessing the ratchet itself was also around 18mm. Ratchet survived, but was kinda useless without the drive, and it wasn't worth it to open the wrench up and replace it. :-)
  
  Having said that, I hadn't thought about grossly oversized ratchets/drives in conjunction with small fasteners. If you're turning a 1/2" bolt using a Hulk-like plastic ratchet with a 1" drive, you will have a lot more mechanical advantage to work with.
  
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27. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by JaredOfEuropa · 2014-12-21 01:01 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't an impact wrench have been a more appropriate tool in that case? Or a regular wrench + a good number of firm taps with a hammer? An 18" lever and floor jack sounds like a good recipe to break off a frozen bolt.
  
  --
  If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
28. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by SourceFrog · 2014-12-21 01:13 · Score: 1
  
  Most people seem to be missing the historical significance of this. Today it's just a plastic wrench, yes. In another 50 or 100 or 500 years? 3D-printing (or 'custom local manufacturing', or a 'replicator', or whatever you want to call it) is going to play an important part in all our extra-planetary exploration endeavors - and historically, humans of the future will be looking back at this crappy plastic wrench as the first real-world example of a 'replicator' producing something in space.
  
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29. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by NormalVisual · 2014-12-21 01:28 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't an impact wrench have been a more appropriate tool in that case?
  
  Yes it would, but I didn't have one available at the time.
  
  Or a regular wrench + a good number of firm taps with a hammer?
  
  Tried that before breaking out the jack.
  
  An 18" lever and floor jack sounds like a good recipe to break off a frozen bolt.
  
  Yeah, it is a lot of times. After the first attempt, I let it sit for a couple of days with penetrating oil on it, and I had the drill ready to go if things went south. I was frankly surprised that the bolt *didn't* break, and even more surprised that the threads were perfectly clean, with just a little bit of blue Loctite on them.
  
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30. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 01:59 · Score: 1
  
  Woah there, you're getting way too personal.
  
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31. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Rei · 2014-12-21 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  A lot of the slashdot crowd still thinks of 3d printers in terms of Makerbots and the like, the low end consumer-level home 3d printers. They really have no clue what professional level hardware can achieve. They'd be singing a different tune had they ever ordered 3d-printed parts from a professional 3d printing service.
  
  --
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32. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by The+Grim+Reefer · 2014-12-21 02:19 · Score: 1
  
  It's still inside the atmosphere
  So NASA can stop sending up spacesuits for when the astronauts need to go outside for repairs then? A tracksuit and some sunblock will be so much cheaper and save on weight.
  Russia/USSR is going to be pretty pissed to find out that they weren't the first country to put a man in space. Or that they never did for that matter.
33. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Rei · 2014-12-21 02:32 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed. 3d printing is not going to be suitable for mass production, for keeping a whole colony supplied in bulk components.** But for small specialty parts, it seems like an obvious answer to that piece of the equation. As the tech advances, it's just going to get more and more capable. I'm personally looking much forward to seeing whether a 3d printer that works based on thermal spraying would work out - then your production material choice would be almost limitless, pretty much any powder or small fibers you can think of that can be made to merge with the substrate through any custom combination of either temperature or velocity, and your balance between deposition rate and precision could be chosen just by rotating through nozzles of different sizes, none of the feed mechanism or material storage or anything. Your same printer could even paint, coat, sandblast, or pretty much any other post treatment on its own.
  ** Concerning not being able to use 3d printing for mass manufacturing: That is, assuming 3d printing as we think of it today, printing a voxel at a time. However, if you made a custom programmable 3d *molder*, where it forms a cavity of a programmable shape, that could be a different story - then you're approaching true mass production potential. Custom programmable stamping tools and other manufacturing processes could also be developed.
  
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34. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-21 02:56 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Why in the systemd?
35. Re: My sockets are made of high quality steel by Hognoxious · 2014-12-21 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  If it catches fire they can just open the door.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
36. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by cb88 · 2014-12-21 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  Why in the sky was there even an ISS in the first place ?
  
  It rhyms even ... I'm sure someone else can even improve on it lol
37. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Immerman · 2014-12-21 04:16 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  The vast majority of the atmosphere, by volume, is far too thin to breathe. Hell, there's mountain tops where you can stand with your feet firmly on the ground and still not have enough air to breathe without extended acclimization. And the atmosphere is far, far deeper than any mountain is tall.
  There's no clear line marking the upper limit of the atmosphere, but the ISS is orbiting low enough that it needs regular orbital boosts to avoid being brought down by air resistance.
  
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38. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Hognoxious · 2014-12-21 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  There must be a weak spot somewhere; apply enough force and you'll find it.
  With luck, it'll be the joint between the parts you want unstuck.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
39. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Immerman · 2014-12-21 04:31 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Cooling would probably be an issue in vacuum - the primary cooling channel for freshly deposited plastic would be by transfering heat to the layer below it. The first few layers might not have an issue, but I suspect that as it got thicker the rigidity of the print would suffer dramatically, especially if there were any narrow choke points restricting the heat flow. It'd be like trying to print with jello after a while. You could slow the printing to allow adequate thermal dissipation, but that seems counterproductive.
  You might also have other issues - for example what's the boiling point of plastic in vacuum? If nothing else those toxic gasses we're trying to avoid are going to escape from the plastic much more energetically if there's no ambient pressure.
  
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40. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by mikael · 2014-12-21 04:57 · Score: 1
  
  I used acrylic plastic in my dental fillings. Hardened using UV light and still going strong after 20 years.
  
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41. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by drinkypoo · 2014-12-21 05:02 · Score: 2
  
  If you're turning a 1/2" bolt using a Hulk-like plastic ratchet with a 1" drive, you will have a lot more mechanical advantage to work with.
  As an added bonus, big oversized tools are easier to work with while wearing gloves...
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
42. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by PPH · 2014-12-21 05:07 · Score: 1
  
  NASA. The people that had to break a handle off the Hubble Space Telescope because they don't know basic mechanics' tricks for disassembling stuff.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
43. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Immerman · 2014-12-21 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  While a programmable molder would be awesome, it would pretty much by definition not be a 3D printer. There is some overlap with using a 3D printers to make traditional casting molds though. That's something we could even do with today's technology, though the surface might want some final polishing before you begin casting. I imagine laser-sintered titanium could make for adequate stamping tools as well.
  There's also the possibility of 3D printers that print an entire layer at a time, rather than individual "voxels". Probably not for extrusion-based printing, but for laser sintering, optical resin curing, etc. there's no reason you couldn't have millions of individually switchable laser beams fixing your medium. That would decrease print times *dramatically*. Maybe not fast enough to compete with casting on Earth, but in a colony of only thousands or millions, how many Widget Xs do you really need to make in a month? And a large-scale 3D printing facility would be *far* more versatile than a similar-sized factory - an important consideration when attempting to bootstrap a civilization with limited resources.
  Personally I think 3D printing with micro-/nano-cellulose would be an incredibly enabling technology for space colonization. Nanocellulose especially has some pretty incredible mechanical properties (Comparable strength to aluminum, extremely gas-impermeable, potentially transparent, etc. And you can produce it from the biomass waste that's a byproduct of growing food/oxygen, using only thermo-mechanical processes. So the remaining waste (and recycled prints) can be composted back into your ecosystem - an important consideration in a limited ecosystem.
  
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  --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
44. Re: My sockets are made of high quality steel by afgam28 · 2014-12-21 05:44 · Score: 2
  
  It was printed with ABS plastic: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pa...
  Not sure why people here are so hung up on plastic though. It's better than nothing at all, and doesn't stop you from getting a metal one in the future.
45. Re: My sockets are made of high quality steel by citizenr · 2014-12-21 06:24 · Score: 1
  
  titanium printer that needs a nitrogen atmosphere
  yes, it needs nitrogen, instead of vacuum
  
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46. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Paradise+Pete · 2014-12-21 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  But, why on earth was there not a decent socket set on the ISS in the first place? (pun intended)
  I hate to sound dumb, but what pun?
47. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Sechr+Nibw · 2014-12-21 07:53 · Score: 1
  
  There's these things called "proof of concept".A lot of slashdot readers seem to be unfamiliar with the concept.
  [citation needed]. Where's your proof?
48. Re: My sockets are made of high quality steel by SuricouRaven · 2014-12-21 08:03 · Score: 2
  
  Plastic fumes in an enclosed station must have been fun. One thing you don't notice from videos of 3D printers is the smell.
49. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by SuricouRaven · 2014-12-21 08:08 · Score: 1
  
  It's common enough to print a mould. You make your plastic part, use the plastic part to make an impression in sand, pour metal into the sand. It's just plain old-fashioned metal casting - but the 3D printer can greatly reduce the skill required and the turnaround time for one-off parts.
50. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Immerman · 2014-12-21 09:08 · Score: 1
  
  Sure, you could do that - but that's not printing the mold, that's making a mold from a printed object..
  I'm saying print the mold itself. You know what the casting should look like, which means you also know what the mold should look like, so you could print the blocks of metal which make up the mold, slap them into the injection molder, and spit out 100,000 castings. Or if you want to cast metal, print the mold in ceramic or plaster or whatever.
  
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51. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-21 19:50 · Score: 1
  
  Okay, fine. "International Airspace Station" it is.
52. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Rei · 2014-12-22 01:11 · Score: 1
  
  The difference with a 3d moulder being that, instead of taking a couple hours to 3d print a mould, then stop your production line and manually install the new mould in place of the old, then start it back up again you could effectively instantly form 3d mould (via microactuators or whatnot), do a 15 minute production run and make a couple hundred parts, then move on to mass producing the next part you need with no break in-between. Your "factory" could be in full production mode nonstop yet have a single line produce many dozens of different types of parts over the course of a day.
  When one thinks of space colony applications, it quickly becomes clear how essential such a thing will be. Even if you try to simplify, you're still going to have tends to hundreds of thousands of types of parts that will wear out with time. Let's say 100k unique types of of parts with a mean lifespan of 3 years - that's probably pretty realistic for a colony. That means you'll have to produce a new type of part every 15 minutes nonstop - with quantities varying from one-offs to the tens of thousands, depending on the part. Now think of how big your typical production line is and how much mass that means transporting from earth. Clearly, rapid production flexibility is critical! (same applies to all steps of the chain, including robotic assembly)
  (and yes, I know a single moulder or whatnot cannot achieve all possible production jobs, real production lines involve many types of materials and many processes... it's just an example of a common production mechanism :) )
  (as another side note, it should even be possible to make 3d moulds for metals. Carbon fiber cloth - or better, graphite fiber cloth - can tolerate temperatures hotter than many metals, but still has stretch and could be shaped with an array of actuators).
  
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53. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by nospam007 · 2014-12-25 23:03 · Score: 1
  
  "I could image they could just lock it off and decompress the area to do the printing, then pump it back up again after the plastic set and cooled to remove the part."
  They forsaw all that an included a room in the space station that does all that.
  They called it an 'airlock'.
54. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by bluefoxlucid · 2014-12-26 02:31 · Score: 1
  
  Dude, sockets are positive-locking. They're not "the finer part of the tool"; they distribute stress among an entire surface, which is distributed to a round barrel. This is why you can shatter a socket that's slightly wrong (e.g. an 8mm socket on a 5/16 bolt) relatively easily: you have six contact points prying at the weakest part of the socket, instead of a fitted socket providing full contact.
  
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55. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by bluefoxlucid · 2014-12-26 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  You produce a socket extender with a bolt head if you need to. Plenty of ways around spatial problems.
  
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56. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by bluefoxlucid · 2014-12-26 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  3D printing will be irrelevant in 500 years.
  
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57. Re:My sockets are made of high quality steel by Spugglefink · 2014-12-26 10:56 · Score: 1
  
  "In other news, several key satellites were accidentally destroyed by a cloud of swarf ejected from the ISS during a milling operation. 'Oops, we should have used a 3D printer,' a NASA spokesperson said."
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by rossdee · 2014-12-20 19:50 · Score: 4, Interesting

Maybe, but don't forget its hard to exert much torque when you're in zero G
Anyway the ISS is one of the few places where a 3d printer is justified.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by CaptQuark · 2014-12-20 20:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'll bet you any amount it won't break. This is a technology demonstration and proof of concept, not a stress-to-failure type test. The main goal is to upload the build file, print it, then return it to earth to compare against the reference model. Some of the questions they might be working to answer are: Do the extrusion heads work the same way in microgravity? Do micro-bubbles form in the material without gravity to collapse them? Do wisps of hot filament drift around the build chamber without gravity to control them?

Imagine turning an earth-bound 3D printer upside down and printing an object. What other issues does gravity alleviate that we don't know about?

~~
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by LostMyBeaver · 2014-12-20 20:04 · Score: 1

Maybe, but don't forget its hard to exert much torque when you're in zero G

Muscle loss?
to me by clotheshangers · 2014-12-20 20:42 · Score: 1

it seems not working :)
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Hognoxious · 2014-12-20 21:00 · Score: 1

I'll bet you any amount it won't break. This is a technology demonstration and proof of concept, not a stress-to-failure type test.

You're saying it won't break because they won't actually use it?

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Hognoxious · 2014-12-20 21:07 · Score: 1

Because torque is measured in foot-pounds, and in space you're weightless so pounds = zero.
Of course the problem is solvable by using a sensible system of measurement with kilograms and newtons.

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Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
One letter makes a difference... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-20 21:35 · Score: 1

I read that as NASA emails wrench to ISIS.
My first thought was, ISIS has an email address?
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by zmooc · 2014-12-20 21:37 · Score: 1

Self-rotation. The amount of torque needed to rotate yourself is much lower than in typical gravity situations. More often than not, a wrench on earth is actually rotated by gravity pulling your body down. In space, you'd only pull yourself closer to the wrench.

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Put it on Thingiverse! by AndyKron · 2014-12-20 21:45 · Score: 1

Put it on Thingiverse!
A PSA brought to you by the MPAA by Anonymous Coward · 2014-12-20 22:38 · Score: 4, Funny

You wouldn't steal a car.
You wouldn't steal a handbag.
You wouldn't steal a tv.
You wouldn't steal a socket wrench.
3D PRINTING IS STEALING.
STEALING IS AGAINST THE LAW.
3D PRINTING. IT'S A CRIME.
(BTW: 2nd time I've tried to post this. Fuck your stupid fucking unreadable captchas, slashdot.)
1. Re:A PSA brought to you by the MPAA by oodaloop · 2014-12-21 00:03 · Score: 1
  
  I'm a car thief, you insensitive clod!
  
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Print or by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2014-12-20 22:41 · Score: 1

We now return to Family Guy in Space:
(Printer spits out something...)
Peter: "Wait. That doesn't look like a tool,"
Quagmire: "It's frequently been called a tool."'

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(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
1. Re:Print or by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  Quagmire: "Giggity."
  
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Re:Security? by SourceFrog · 2014-12-20 23:45 · Score: 2

Your comment is so wrong on so many levels, it's fractally wrong. I don't even know where to start.

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by SourceFrog · 2014-12-20 23:51 · Score: 1

What *would* be disturbing is if this printing of a wrench was due to literally *not having a wrench* at all anywhere on the ISS.

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by SourceFrog · 2014-12-20 23:52 · Score: 1

I'm pretty sure there's plenty of walls and other 'handles' to hold onto on the ISS and use for "leverage".

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My other UID is three digits.
From the report.... by SlayerofGods · 2014-12-21 00:34 · Score: 1

2.2 Angriffsmittel und -methoden 15
2.2.1 Spam 15
2.2.2 Schadprogramme 16
2.2.3 Drive-by-Exploits und Exploit-Kits 17
2.2.4 Botnetze 18
2.2.5 Social Engineering 19
2.2.6 Identitätsdiebstahl 20
2.2.7 Denial of Service 20
2.2.8 Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) 21
2.2.9 Nachrichtendienstliche Cyber-Angriffe 22
I can understand Spam but Drive-by-Exploits? Social Engineering? Denial of Service???
Surely there are German words for this? I mean 2.2.4 I'm pretty sure is botnet; which I should be a lot harder to give its own German translation than Advanced Persistent Threat?

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Technology, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems.
Quote positions? by Radak · 2014-12-21 00:46 · Score: 1

Shouldn't that be "NASA Emails a 'Socket Wrench' to the ISS"? The realness of the email is not in question. The realness of the wrench is.
1. Re:Quote positions? by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 02:14 · Score: 1
  
  I guess it depends if you see is as "The action of sending a physical object [via email]" or "The action of sending a [physical object] via email".
  You cannot send physical objects through email, but what was emailed was not a physical object either.
  
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2. Re:Quote positions? by Radak · 2014-12-21 02:29 · Score: 1
  
  but what was emailed was not a physical object either.
  Hence my pedantic preference for putting the quotes around the physical object.
Patent by Livius · 2014-12-21 01:20 · Score: 2

I'm surprised there isn't infringement - hasn't anyone got around to patenting 'using a socket wrench - in space'.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by profplump · 2014-12-21 01:34 · Score: 2

"Pound" is a unit of force equal to exactly 4.4482216152605 Newtons as per ISO 80000 (and related standards) which defines G as 9.80665 m/s^2 regardless of the local value. Neither the local effective acceleration nor the system of units have any impact on the ability to make meaningful and reproducible measurements of force.
There are reasons to use the same units across the board but "works in space" is not one of them.
Re:Security? by qbast · 2014-12-21 01:56 · Score: 1

Right. Better send some CIA agents to foil this fiendish plot. Not sure what plot it is, but if they torture Russians enough, they will surely confess to something.
Re:And now? by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 02:11 · Score: 1

It still simplifies the inventory situation, which is the main problem when you're in orbit. It's better to have to keep a supply of filament on the space station than having to have an inventory of anything they might possibly need (that could be 3D-printed).

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Re:The tip of a tool broke? by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 02:16 · Score: 1

They're in space. The 3D-printed plastic shape is not competing with a metal one here. As long as the 3D-printed tool lasts long enough to do the job they need, it's a success.

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Rei · 2014-12-21 02:35 · Score: 1

3d printing has tons of applications here on Earth. However, this does not include general-case home 3d printing. Unfortunately, that's what most people here on Slashdot want to judge it by.

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I am a proud traitor to my species in alliance with my mother the Earth in opposition to those who would destroy her.
Re:The tip of a tool broke? by ArcadeMan · 2014-12-21 02:35 · Score: 1

They're in the upper atmosphere. They're closer to the surface than I am from Paris. Woopee.
It's not a question of distance, it's a question of costs and delays.

If the criteria is just to last long enough to do the job, why not just pack an extra tool, or a piece of metal, or a Swiss army knife?
How are they supposed to know in advance what they're going to need in the future? They're Astronauts, not Time Lords.

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Rei · 2014-12-21 02:43 · Score: 1

They're saying that it won't break because that's not the purpose here. The description of the experiment is:

In addition to safely integrating into the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), the 3D Print requirements include the production of a 3D multi-layer object(s) that generate data (operational parameters, dimensional control, mechanical properties) to enhance understanding of the 3D printing process in space. Thus, some of the prints were selected to provide information on the tensile, flexure, compressional, and torque strength of the printed materials and objects. Coupons to demonstrate tensile, flexure, and compressional strength were chosen from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Multiple copies of these coupons are planned for printing to obtain knowledge of strength variance and the implications of feedstock age. Each printed part is compared to a duplicate part printed on Earth. These parts are compared in dimensions, layer thickness, layer adhesion, relative strength, and relative flexibility. Data obtained in the comparison of Earth- and space-based printing are used to refine Earth-based 3D printing technologies for terrestrial and space-based applications.

The description is not "Print out a wrench so that crew members can change a rusty lug bolt". And yes, also from the description page, they include direct metal printing as part of their list of ultimate goals with 3d printing in space research.

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I am a proud traitor to my species in alliance with my mother the Earth in opposition to those who would destroy her.
Really? Proof-of-concept run requires this much by jpellino · 2014-12-21 03:59 · Score: 1

snark and terminal dissection? It's a first shot at something useful-ish. There's plenty of small parts on the ISS that could benefit from sooner-than-resupply-mission times.

--
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
"Space", not so much by CauseBy · 2014-12-21 04:08 · Score: 1

In the same way that we have upped the standards of what "broadband" means, can we please up the standard of what "space" means to no longer include low-orbit? I'd like NASA to start referring to anything closer than the moon as "Above Earth". Anything farther than that they can call "space".
Suddenly everyone would realize how ridiculous NASA is: "Why has it been 50 years and NASA still hasn't taken humans into space? Shouldn't we be going to space by now?"
1. Re:"Space", not so much by SuricouRaven · 2014-12-21 08:17 · Score: 1
  
  I define space as 'high enough that anything with enough lateral velocity isn't coming down.'
2. Re:"Space", not so much by CauseBy · 2014-12-21 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't that any place above the highest point on the planet? If you shoot a laser off of Mt Everest, the light "isn't coming down". You might want to consider a different definition.
Huh by koan · 2014-12-21 04:25 · Score: 1

The most interesting thing here is they can print 3D in micro gravity, didn't know you could.

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"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
ISS to Mission Control by PPH · 2014-12-21 04:55 · Score: 4, Funny

ISS: "Could you please e-mail us the instructions for a wrench?"
Ground: "Please clarify. What kind of wrench do you need?"
ISS: "It doesn't matter. We are going to use it as a hammer."

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Have gnu, will travel.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Immerman · 2014-12-21 05:51 · Score: 1

Well, probably not any time soon anyway. Unlike a drill or hammer, a quality 3D printer is too expensive to justify owning one for occasional use. On the other hand I could see publicly accessible 3D printers at libraries, maker spaces, etc. getting a lot of traction. Hell, the day will probably come when you can drop off your plans at the "Walmart 24-hour 3D print lab" and pick up your finished piece the next day.

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Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Immerman · 2014-12-21 05:54 · Score: 1

Since when do 3D printers accept text? You generate the plans, and then send the vector-based file to the printer.

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Re:Security? by Immerman · 2014-12-21 06:39 · Score: 1

Ah yes, the pen-type weapon... mightier than the sword-type weapon.
Seriously though, you can't print gunpowder (well, at least you'd need a "chemistry set" printer instead), which pretty much leaves you with blunt and bladed weapons. And I'm pretty sure there's already plenty of material at hand with which to make clubs and shivs with minimal effort.

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Re:Security? by LordLimecat · 2014-12-21 06:50 · Score: 1

The same thing that stops someone from 3d-printing a nuclear warhead and blowing up a city: the fact that it molds material, it doesnt transmute materials.
Re:Security? by 0123456 · 2014-12-21 07:52 · Score: 1

And I'm pretty sure there's already plenty of material at hand with which to make clubs and shivs with minimal effort.
Rather pointless to worry about, since the Russians have a gun in every Soyuz. A Soyuz launch abort is likely to end up dumping you in a forest full of wolves and bears, not a beach in the Bahamas.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by SuricouRaven · 2014-12-21 08:15 · Score: 1

I've found a few uses for my printer, but not enough to justify the cost of it:
- A new hinge cover for a laptop at work.
- A soap dish, with a hook to attach underneath the shelf near the bath.
- A replacement nozzlethingie for the hoover, to replace the one we lost years ago... and which turned up two days after printing the replacement.
- A trebuchet to use in science lessons.
- Tiny little boxes to store jewelry in.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Rei · 2014-12-21 08:25 · Score: 1

There are tons of online services already like iMaterialize and Shapeways - they do really excellent work.

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I am a proud traitor to my species in alliance with my mother the Earth in opposition to those who would destroy her.
Re:Security? by Immerman · 2014-12-21 08:58 · Score: 1

Really? Are they expected to walk home, or does their abort not include the capsule? At any rate guns are really lousy weapons on a space station, unless suicide is part of the plan when a stray shot punches a hole in the skin and/or vital equipment.

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--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by Immerman · 2014-12-21 09:21 · Score: 1

Indeed, and for now they are mostly sufficient for the demand, and there will probably always be a market for mail-order jobs made on top-of-the-line printers. But mail-order introduces delays and expenses which aren't present for a local 3D print-shop, as well as lacking the opportunity to act as a social hub for the regulars. When someone can buy a quality metal-sintering printer for a few thousand bucks there will be plenty of profit opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

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--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Re:Security? by 0123456 · 2014-12-21 14:46 · Score: 1

Really? Are they expected to walk home, or does their abort not include the capsule?
After the one actual Soyuz launch abort, rescuers took nearly a day to locate and reach the crew.
Re:Security? by Immerman · 2014-12-22 04:39 · Score: 1

Still, so long as they have their capsule to take shelter in, lions and tigers and bears (oh my) shouldn't be a problem. And as I understand it the ambient conditions in most of Russia are such that you're not really going to want to be wandering around without warmer clothing than there's any reason to include on a space launch.

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--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
on another note by gzuckier · 2014-12-22 15:14 · Score: 2

"One of the problems included a toolkit that included a wrench needed to install a nuclear warhead atop an ICBM. Only one of the toolkits remained available for three bases to maintain the fleet of 450 Minuteman ICBMs. Crews working on the missile fleet relied on Fed-Ex to deliver the copy of one wrench." http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/...

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Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
Re:Plastic socket wrench? by bluefoxlucid · 2014-12-26 03:27 · Score: 1

I've personally never rotated a wrench using friction force. It's always been a pull upwards (bracing) or sideways; sideways pulls are largely done by my body pivoting over some joint (legs, hips, etc.), with gravitational assist. I have, on occasion, lifted myself off the ground.

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