How NASA is Leveraging AM to Accelerate Space Exploration

There are thousands of private organizations with an interest in the space industry, prompting a new space race. This has been fueled in no small part by amazing technological developments in and outside the industry. In this four-part miniseries of Additive Snack, we explore the new space race industry, how it got to where it is now, and the role of additive manufacturing in our current environment and the future. In his first episode on space, Fabian Alefeld is joined by Paul Gradl, principal engineer at NASA and one of the most trusted sources of additive manufacturing knowledge in the space industry and beyond.

Comments about the show or wish to share your AM journey? Contact us at [email protected]. The Additive Snack Podcast is brought to you by EOS.

Key Takeaways:

[3:33] Paul explains why he chose a career in the space industry.

[7:02] What was the first time AM and space collided and started their joint journey?

[13:02] Paul shares some current applications that NASA uses additive manufacturing to enhance.

[17:04] Paul describes how NASA works with private companies to accelerate the development curve and the speed of new space innovation.

[22:47] NASA has taken on the educator role by publishing an AM book and sharing their additive data.

 [27:21] Paul shares examples of failed additive parts that offered important lessons for process improvement.

[32:33] What will accelerate the adoption of additive, and what does the future of AM in space look like?

[38:37] What would the space race landscape be today without additive manufacturing?