{"id":9332,"date":"2019-04-01T09:32:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T15:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=9332"},"modified":"2024-01-18T12:53:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T18:53:52","slug":"lockheed-martin-explores-a-different-kind-of-space-for-nasa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/9332\/lockheed-martin-explores-a-different-kind-of-space-for-nasa\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed Martin Explores a Different Kind of Space for NASA"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Custom sheet metal parts solve storage space limitations\u2014in space\u2014for eventual voyage to Mars<\/h2>\n

Mankind first set foot on the moon in 1969, laying our first footprints on our orbiting partner, roughly 230,000 miles away. Nearly five decades have now passed since we last visited. Today, NASA is developing the Orion spaceship, which will launch astronauts back into lunar orbit, to the moon\u2019s surface and, if all goes as scheduled, to Mars. Protolabs is one of the companies making NASA\u2019s dream journey a reality, providing\u00a0sheet metal fabrication capabilities<\/a>\u00a0to aerospace giant\u00a0Lockheed Martin<\/a>, which is a major NASA contractor, for this critical next step to the Moon.<\/p>\n

In order to boldly go where no human has gone before, Lockheed Martin is designing, and Protolabs is manufacturing, parts of the infrastructure that will support\u00a0NASA\u2019s Gateway concept. The Gateway will act as a space port, orbiting the moon. The work continues in a Florida building, where the company is constructing an earthbound, full-sized physical model of the living quarters portion of the Gateway, called the Habitat Ground Test Article (HGTA).<\/p>\n

The space-based version of this module will provide a comfortable environment for astronauts on their long journeys and is currently scheduled to launch in 2024. It will dock with another module that will generate power and propulsion, which will launch in 2022.<\/p>\n

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Lockheed Martin turned to Protolabs for rapid sheet metal fabrication of solid aluminum parts to create a key piece of secondary infrastructure for a storage portion of the living quarters of NASA\u2019s Gateway port. The storage unit will hold scientific experiments and cargo for NASA\u2019s future lunar missions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Development Challenge: How to Overcome Space Limitations in Space<\/h3>\n

Not surprisingly, when traveling through the vastness of space, you have to consider small, but critical, details\u2014like storage\u2014as carefully as big ones. \u201cProtolabs needed to fabricate a key piece of secondary structure for the HGTA,\u201d said Chris Cloutier, Lockheed Martin\u2019s Advanced Programs prototype lead. \u201cIt\u2019s the backbone that will hold both the scientific experiments and payloads needed to maintain the habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Budny, a Lockheed Martin systems integration engineer, visited Protolabs\u2019 Nashua, New Hampshire facility to ensure that the company\u2019s sheet metal fabrication capabilities were up to the task. He left confident in the team and the build began soon thereafter. Protolabs has partnered with Lockheed Martin before, including producing prototype parts for a\u00a0portable drone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Manufacturing Solution: Sheet Metal is Best Strategy for Limited Space<\/h3>\n
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Several design considerations guided the aerospace and digital manufacturing company including factors like weight, strength, longevity, and of course, safety:<\/p>\n