Tools printed by astronauts of the ISS on a 3D printer returned to Earth to check the quality

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Not so long ago, astronauts on the ISS received a long-awaited 3D printer adapted for work in microgravity conditions. Thanks to the device, astronauts can create the necessary tools for working independently, without requesting every little thing from Earth. According to the plan, the astronauts were to create a number of tools, and send them to Earth to check the quality. If all is well, then work with the printer will go very actively in the near future.

The other day, the Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX took the tools manufactured on the ISS and “drove” them to Earth, where they are now being tested. By the way, if the presence of a printer in orbit justifies itself, then such devices will be used in the expedition to Mars, if, of course, a person still decides to create a colony on the Red Planet.

According to one of the managers of the program using a 3D printer, NASA needs to check the quality of the tools created by the astronauts, this is an important issue not only for the work of the current ISS inhabitants, but also for the work of future colonists of Mars.
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The printer itself (its name is the Zero G 3D printer ) was created by a group of specialists who called themselves “Made in Space”. At the same time, the European Space Agency sent another printer into orbit, and now it is possible to compare the work of two devices, choosing the best option. Well, if everything goes well, the astronauts will be able to print hammers, screwdrivers, parts for repairing something in a matter of minutes, without asking for help from the Earth (this assistance has to wait for weeks, because shuttle shuttles do not run every day).