Wrench gets emailed by NASA to the International Space Station

3D Printing has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of manufacturing products that are needed on space missions. Barry Wilmore, the commander of the International Space Station, or ISS, recently needed a ratcheting socket wrench. Not surprisingly, it usually takes months to fulfill such a request since it has to come all the way from Earth as part of a supply mission. In this case, however, a design for the wrench was created digitally on Earth, and then sent to the astronauts, who used a 3-D printer to create the device. Detailed instructions were included to aid in assembling the 20 or so parts printed that created the one tool. The 3-D printer aboard ISS was created by Made in Space. It was sent there in September and installed on November 17th, 2014. According to Made In Space founder Mike Chen, "The socket wrench we just manufactured is the first object we designed on the ground and sent digitally to space...This is the first time we’ve ever 'emailed' hardware to space." Digital data can travel at the speed of light, making it a much more convenient method of assisting astronauts with getting new tools. This advancement will allow astronauts to become more self-reliant, particularly on long space missions, with some unforeseen emergencies more easily addressed.