The advent of 3-D printing is transforming how astronauts work in space. Recently, astronauts on the International Space Station created a tool known as a ratchet wrench, by printing it on the space station's own 3-D printer. A design file sent electronically from NASA on Earth to the ISS instructed the printer to create the wrench from 104 successive layers of plastic.
Working in space demands all kinds of special tools and adaptations. Learners can get a feel for how astronauts adapt to do their jobs in the Howtosmile.org activity Moving and Working in Space. Learners complete four manual tasks in a limited time, wearing garden or rubber gloves and remaining attached to a line and tether. The activity teaches about an astronaut's challenge of moving around in a limited space, and completing manual tasks within the confines of a spacesuit with gloves that reduce finger sensitivity.
Learners can try their own hands at designing equipment for use in space. In the Feel the Heat activity, the goal is to create a solar water heater that yields the highest temperature change. The goal is less heat in the Cooling Off activity. In this activity learners think and act like scientists and engineers, by experimenting and designing an improved cooling system like those used in spacesuits. Learners not only explore the technology of spacesuit design, but the use of this technology in everyday life on Earth.
[NASA photo]