For hobbyists and makers, 3D printing expands creative possibilities; for specialized engineers, it's also key to next-generation spacecraft design.
If you want to see science fiction at work, visit a modern machine shop, where 3D printers create materials in just about any shape you can imagine. NASA is exploring the technique – known as additive manufacturing when used by specialized engineers – to build rocket engines as well as potential outposts on the Moon and Mars. Nearer in the future is a different milestone: NASA's Perseverance rover, which lands on the Red Planet on Feb.
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Elon Musk says SpaceX's 1st Starship trip to Mars could fly in 4 years | Space
SpaceX is almost ready to start building a permanent human settlement on Mars with its massive Starship rocket.
The private spaceflight company is on track to launch its first uncrewed mission to Mars in as little as four years from now, SpaceX's founder and CEO Elon Musk said Friday (Oct. 16) at the International Mars Society Convention .
"I think we have a fighting chance of making that second Mars transfer window," Musk said in a discussion with Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin. You can watch a replay of the talk here .
| Mars Fire Remains at 20 AcresNM Fire Info
Tijeras, NM, October 19, 2020 – The Mars Fire burning in the Manzanita Mountains, southwest of the intersection of Mars Court and Raven Road reached 20 acres in size at 10 pm last night. Crews worked diligently through the night constructing handline around the perimeter of the fire. As of this morning, the Mars fire remains at 20 acres.
Today, firefighters will continue to work on securing and moping up the perimeter of the fire. Smoke will continue to be visible through the day. No evacuations are recommended at this time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
At Last! NASA InSight's "Mole" Is Out of Sight, Below the Surface of Mars
NASA’s InSight retracted its robotic arm on October 3, 2020, revealing where the spike-like “mole” is trying to burrow into Mars. The copper-colored ribbon attached to the mole has sensors to measure the planet’s heat flow. In the coming months, the arm will scrape and tamp down soil on top of the mole to help it dig. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sensors embedded in the tether are designed to measure heat flowing from the planet once the mole has dug at least 10 feet (3 meters) deep. The mission team has been working to help the mole burrow to at least that depth so that it can take Mars’ temperature.
Not to change the topic here:
You can watch the International Mars Society's 2020 convention online this week | Space
Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin, author of 2019's " The Case for Space ," will kicked the convention off with an opening plenary speech Thursday.
SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk, who has said building a Mars settlement has been a longtime goal, will speak at the convention on Friday (Oct. 16) at 3 p.m. PDT (6 p.m. EDT/2200 GMT).
On Saturday (Oct. 17), NASA chief Jim Bridenstine will give a keynote address on the agency's Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 and then aim for Mars.
Technology drives exploration of moon, Mars for NASA
NASA Announces Partners to Advance 2020 'Tipping Point' Technologies | NASA
Curiosity rover drills rock, accidentally busts it in two – BGR
When it comes to exploring pristine areas of the planet or, even better, another world, scientists usually do their best to leave things as they found them. Respecting Mother Nature is important, but doing your best to avoid damaging previously unexplored worlds is important for other reasons as well, including the fact that future explorations of the area may accidentally “rediscover” things that earlier missions messed up.
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Sometimes, however, accidents just can’t be helped, and as NASA’s Mars Curiosity mission update website reveals , a recent attempt to drill into a Martian rock to obtain a sample resulted in the rock actually splitting. It’s not a big deal, and the hole is still useful for scientists to investigate, but it’s not something you see every day.
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