Nanoracks Cut a Piece of Metal In Space For the First Time (techcrunch.com) 17
Nanoracks just made space construction and manufacturing history with the first demonstration of cutting metal in orbit. TechCrunch reports: The experiment was performed back in May by Nanoracks and its parent company Voyager Space, after getting to orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter 5 launch. The company only recently released additional details on Friday. The goal of Outpost Mars Demo-1 mission was to cut a piece of corrosion-resistant metal, similar to the outer shell of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur and common in space debris, using a technique called friction milling. Welding and metal-cutting is a messy operation on Earth, but all of that dust and debris simply falls to the ground. But "when you're in space, in the vacuum, it doesn't really do that. It doesn't just float away necessarily either," Marshall Smith, Nanoracks' senior VP of space systems, explained to TechCrunch back in May. "What you want to do is to contain this debris, not necessarily because it might be a micrometeorites issue, which it could be as well, but mostly because you want to keep your work environment clean."
The entire demonstration lasted around one minute. The main goal -- to cut a single small sample of the steel -- was successfully completed. Inside the spacecraft were two additional samples to cut as a "reach goal," and Nanoracks is investigating why they weren't cut as well. It was conducted in partnership with Maxar Technologies, who developed the robotic arm that executed the cut. That arm used a commercially available friction milling end-effector, and the entire structure was contained in the Outpost spacecraft to ensure that no debris escaped. Indeed, one of the main goals of the demonstration was to produce no debris -- and it worked. Nanoracks used a type of metal similar to an upper stage of a rocket precisely because the company's long-term goal is to modify used upper stages and convert them into orbital platforms, or what it calls "outposts." According to Smith, this is just the beginning. In the future, Nanoracks will attempt cuts on a larger scale in its quest to eventually conduct larger construction efforts.
The entire demonstration lasted around one minute. The main goal -- to cut a single small sample of the steel -- was successfully completed. Inside the spacecraft were two additional samples to cut as a "reach goal," and Nanoracks is investigating why they weren't cut as well. It was conducted in partnership with Maxar Technologies, who developed the robotic arm that executed the cut. That arm used a commercially available friction milling end-effector, and the entire structure was contained in the Outpost spacecraft to ensure that no debris escaped. Indeed, one of the main goals of the demonstration was to produce no debris -- and it worked. Nanoracks used a type of metal similar to an upper stage of a rocket precisely because the company's long-term goal is to modify used upper stages and convert them into orbital platforms, or what it calls "outposts." According to Smith, this is just the beginning. In the future, Nanoracks will attempt cuts on a larger scale in its quest to eventually conduct larger construction efforts.
First for Nanoracks, or first ever? (Score:5, Informative)
Metalwork during 1984 Soyuz T-12 mission (Score:5, Informative)
Here's some more info about the metalwork performed during the Salyut 7/Soyuz T-12 VE-4 mission [wikipedia.org] in 1984, taken from the Svetlana Savitskaya [wikipedia.org] page on Wikipedia:
NASA provides further details about the above Salyut/Soyuz mission and the Universalny Rabochy (or Ruchnoj) Instrument ("Universal Hand Tool") (URI) multipurpose electron beam cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing tool, in the PDF document "Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology" [nasa.gov] --- see page 55.
Re: (Score:2)
Those days are long gone.
Any videos? (Score:2)
NASA provides further details about the above Salyut/Soyuz mission and the Universalny Rabochy (or Ruchnoj) Instrument ("Universal Hand Tool") (URI) multipurpose electron beam cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing tool, in the PDF document "Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology" [nasa.gov] --- see page 55.
Interesting. But what exactly is this Universal Hand Tool? The description in the PDF file (actually page 69 of the PDF file in case you're using simple "go to page" navigation) makes it appear it's just a custom-built welding tool, probably designed to overcome the handicaps posed by working in a space suit. Some pictures, if not a video would be nice. I was thinking at first it might be some sort of laser cutter, then realized only Jedi knights and space pirates would have access to such hand-held technol
Re: (Score:2)
What is the number N? (Score:3)
I didn't know any number of anoracks could do that.
Or any other piece of clothing for that matter. Clothing is soft.
What is friction milling? (Score:3)
So, what is "friction milling"?
It seems to be using a friction stir-welding tool [wikipedia.org] to disrupt and cut material rather than weld it together.
More info here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news... [yahoo.com]
Re: What is friction milling? (Score:2)
Re: What is friction milling? (Score:4, Informative)
... then use a magnet to get the debris.
Only works with ferromagnetic materials. Not aluminum, titanium, or (what these people were cutting) many types of stainless steel. Few aerospace alloys used in space structures are ferromagnetic.
The intended use for this technology is to cut space debris, so you have to work with what other people have launched.
Re: What is friction milling? (Score:1)
Friction milling is not a thing. (Score:2)
I am pretty familiar with machining, and unless friction milling is some kind of totally novel technology, it doesnâ(TM)t exist.
Sighâ¦
Re: (Score:2)
It appears to be an adaptation of the friction welding techniques to cutting instead of welding. So not totally novel.
Simpler (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They want to be able to cut stuff other than sheet metal. We also have extensive systems already available for changing out rotary tools.
Outposts? (Score:1)
"plan to convert spent rocket stages into outposts for Earth orbit and deep space"
Interesting idea, a huge amount of money was expended getting those rocket stages into orbit. And they obviously are gas-tight.
I am thinking it would take a lot more to make them fit for human inhabitation than just some cutting and an airlock though. Insulation and all the other interior outfitting isn't even easy to do on Earth, but now people and/or machines would have to do it in space.
Robotic arms that cut and weld in space (Score:2)