Oct. 6, 2014 | By Alec
As many of you will know, 3D printing and space exploration go hand in hand, as organisations like NASA have been – and continue to be – driving forces in the field of 3D printing technology. However, now 3D printing and outer space are coming together in an entirely different way, as you can now make your very own 3D print of the comet 67P/67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
It's currently speeding through space some 565 million km away from Earth, but this means you can now keep it on your desk as well. The European Space Agency, or ESA, has released 3D models of the comet, which can be easily transformed into STL files and printed. A fan of space travel and 3D printing? Then you should definitely head over to the ESA website and download their free rendering of the comet. The relevant files are available in .wrl and .obj formats.
This comet, that is somewhat shaped like a duck, has been named after its Russian discoverers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, who first observed it on in 1969. It has an orbital period of 6.45 years, and has been the destination of a special exploration mission of the ESA. Their Rosetta mission, which first launched their probe a decade ago, intends to perform a detailed study of this comet and this 3D model is the result of the latest data gathered by the mission.
The Rosetta spacecraft rendezvoused with the comet in early august of this year, and has entered the 67P's orbit on 10 September. Since then, it has been able to gather a lot of data about the comet, which is somewhat of an 'ice mountain', already. While its dimensions were earlier vaguely described as 'about 4 km wide', the mission has since revealed far more details and even discerned the duck shape.
But the most important phase is yet to begin, as the ESA will try to put a small robot on the surface of this the comet on 12 November. If deemed to be safe enough to do so, the space probe will get as close as 10km to the 67P and deploy its 'Philae' lander' on the 'head of the duck'. Esa Flight Director Andrea Accomazzo told the International Astronautical Congress in Toronto on Friday that a final decision on this matter would be made next week.
No-one has ever been this close to a comet before, and there are major discoveries to be made. With all this in mind, printing an accurate replica of this piece of space history is a very cool 3D printing project.
The only downside is that a part of it won't be fully accurate: 'Because roughly 30% of the 'dark side' of 67P/C-G has not been resolved and analysed fully yet, the shape model is very incomplete over those regions. As a result, some of the derived parameters for the comet are only best estimates at present.'
However, this should not discourage space travel enthusiasts. How often do you have the chance to be a part of space history and hold an as-accurate-as-can-be replica of a comet in your own hands? Check it out!
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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You can check the 3D model online directly here: http://www.3dvieweronline.com/members/Id9bf31c7ff062936a96d3c8bd1f8f2ff3/KBLQLuGTfoN12iI Cheers, Rob
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