SDSU students to develop 3D printing materials for International Space Station

South Dakota State University (SDSU, Brookings, SD, US) announced on Aug. 3 it is one of 10 university teams selected to work on technologies to support NASA’s deep space exploration capabilities as part of the eXploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innovation Challenge, also known as X-Hab. 

Mechanical engineering students at SDSU will help develop 3D printing materials that may one day be used at the International Space Station through a one-year, $25,000 NASA grant, according to assistant professor Todd Letcher.

A select team of four or five senior design students will collaborate with NASA, along with input from commercial partner Made In Space (Mountain View, CA, US), to develop and test innovative feedstock materials that can be 3D printed in space. Materials that show potential will then be used to print real-life objects, such as brackets, containers or wrenches, Letcher explains. 

Other participating universities include the University of Michigan, University of Maryland and The Ohio State University.