Aug. 12, 2014

NASA is creating the first fully functional space telescope made entirely from 3D printed parts.

"As far as I know, we are the first to attempt to build an entire instrument with 3-D printing," said NASA aerospace engineer Jason Budinoff, who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Budinoff is building a fully functional, 50-millimeter (2-inch) camera whose outer tube, baffles and optical mounts are all printed as a single structure. The instrument is small enough to fit in a CubeSat, a tiny satellite comprised of individual units each about four inches on a side.

This is an exploded view of the CubeSat-class 50-millimeter (2-inch) imaging instrument that technologist Jason Budinoff is manufacturing with 3-D-printed parts. It shows the mirrors and integrated optical-mechanical structures.
Image Credit: NASA Goddard/Jason Budinoff

Budinoff also is working on a 350-millimeter (14-inch) dual-channel telescope whose size is more representative of a typical space telescope. Both are being developed to show that telescope and instrument structures can benefit from advances in 3D printing.

The goal isn't to fly them, at least not yet. "This is a pathfinder," Budinoff said. "When we build telescopes for science instruments, it usually involves hundreds of pieces. These components are complex and very expensive to build. But with 3-D printing, we can reduce the overall number of parts and make them with nearly arbitrary geometries. We're not limited by traditional mill- and lathe-fabrication operations."

Budinoff expects the camera's assembly will take a mere three months to complete for a fraction of the cost and ready for space-qualification testing.

"I basically want to show that additive-machined instruments can fly," he said. "We will have mitigated the risk, and when future program managers ask, 'Can we use this technology?' we can say, 'Yes, we already have qualified it.'"

His next goal is to demonstrate that he can use powdered aluminum to produce 3D-printed telescope mirrors - a challenge given how porous aluminum is, which makes it difficult to polish the surfaces.

Under his plan, a 3D printing service company will fabricate an unpolished mirror blank appropriate for his two-inch instrument. He then will place the optic inside a pressure chamber filled with inert gas. As the gas pressure increases to 15,000 psi, the heated chamber in essence will squeeze the mirror to reduce the surface porosity — a process called hot isostatic pressing.

"We think this, combined with the deposition of a thin layer of aluminum on the surface and Goddard-developed aluminum stabilizing heat treatments, will enable 3D-printed metal mirrors," Budinoff said.

"Anyone who builds optical instruments will benefit from what we're learning here," Budinoff said. "I think we can demonstrate an order-of-magnitude reduction in cost and time with 3-D printing."

Next year, he also plans to experiment with printing instrument components made of Invar alloy, a material being prepared for 3-D printing by Goddard technologist Tim Stephenson. The 100-year-old iron-nickel alloy offers extreme dimensional stability over a range of temperatures. The material is ideal for building super-stable, lightweight skeletons that support telescopes and other instruments.

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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