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• If humans eventually establish a long-term presence on Mars, they will face a major manufacturing challenge almost immediately. Tools will break. Parts will wear out. Equipment will need repairs. But...
Additional Context
If humans eventually establish a long-term presence on Mars, they will face a major manufacturing challenge almost immediately. Tools will break. Parts will wear out. Equipment will need repairs. But unlike on Earth, there will be no nearby supply chain, no replacement parts arriving overnight, and no warehouse stocked with backup components.
That is one reason researchers continue exploring how additive manufacturing (AM) could support future space missions. Now, a new study from the University of Arkansas looks at one small but important piece of that puzzle: whether metal 3D printing could work in an atmosphere similar to the one found on Mars.
The research was led by Zane Mebruer, who completed the work as an undergraduate mechanical engineering student at the university under the su