NASA is making progress and awarding prizes in its competition to build a 3-D printed habitat for deep space exploration.

The agency has awarded first place and a prize of $250,000 to Team Foster + Partners | Branch Technology of Chattanooga, Tennessee, for successfully completing Phase 2: Level 3 of NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, a NASA's Centennial Challenges prize competition. Pennsylvania State University of University Park received second place, and a reward of $150,000.

Challenge activities were held Aug. 23-26 at Caterpillar's Edwards Demonstration and Learning Center in Edwards, Illinois. Teams were presented a check at the awards ceremony on Aug. 26 by Jim Reuter, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The multi-phase, $2.5 million 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is designed to advance construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.

"The advancement and innovation in additive construction that we've seen from these teams is inspiring," said Reuter. "Meeting the technology goals of this challenge proves that competition can push boundaries, and their work puts us that much closer to preparing the way for deep space exploration."

Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, is NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge partner. Bradley University also partnered with sponsors Caterpillar, Bechtel and Brickand Mortar Ventures to run the competition.

"Being a part of this competition has been an extraordinary opportunity for Bradley University," said Bradley University President, Gary Roberts. "Our students, faculty, staff and the Peoria community had a chance to see history in the making. We are a part of transforming technology and reshaping the way we think about construction. This was inspiring, and I am certain it changed the lives of many who experienced it."

Teams were required to develop the fundamental 3-D printing technology necessary to produce a structurally sound habitat, including the printer itself and construction materials. Competitors then had to print beams, cylinders and domes that were analyzed and compressed to failure to determine scores and prize awards. The competition activities were open to the public, and many industry leaders and local school groups attended the event. A gallery of photos from the challenge events can be found on the NASA Headquarters' Flickr site.

Tweet

Nanoparticle ink produces glowing holograms with simple inkjet printer
Saint Petersburg, Russia (SPX) Aug 23, 2017
Researchers at ITMO University unveiled a new approach for printing luminescent structures based on nanoparticle ink. The unique optical properties of the ink were achieved by means of europium-doped zirconia. Particles of this material were proven to be useful for manufacturing glowing holographic coatings with a high degree of protection. Importantly, the developed approach enables the f ... read more

Related Links
3D-Printing at NASA
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only