It may not be a "Star Trek" replicator, but the first zero-gravity 3D printer is set up and ready for action on the International Space Station.
Station commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore of NASA installed the space 3D printer inside the orbiting lab's Microgravity Science Glovebox on Monday morning (Nov. 17). The machine and its software are in good operating condition, and the first test items will likely be printed sometime Monday, NASA officials said.
"This is a very exciting day for me and the rest of the team," Mike Snyder, lead engineer for California-based startup Made in Space, said in a statement. "We had to conquer many technical challenges to get the 3D printer to this stage."