NASA Deadlines
NASA works to tight deadlines, and that was certainly the case when it called up Quickparts for prototype components on its 21st Century Lunar Rover concept. But instead of a launch clock, the two-week deadline handed down by NASA was in advance of President Obama’s inaugural parade.
NASA works to tight deadlines, and that was certainly the case when it called up Quickparts for prototype components on its 21st Century Lunar Rover concept. But instead of a launch clock, the two-week deadline handed down by NASA was in advance of President Obama’s inaugural parade.
Using stereolithography (SLA) and cast urethane processes, Quickparts constructed housings for the steering units mounted above each of the moon vehicle’s 12 wheels, as well some cosmetic skin pieces for the rocker arms attached to the chassis. Patrick Hunter, Quickparts vp of sales and marketing, says while the team did not have to alter any of the company’s core production processes to meet NASA’s fortnight turnaround requirement, they did have to move very quickly.
A far-less glamorous Quickparts project, but one that could be closer to entering space than the Rover, was the prototype for the High Output Maximum Efficiency Resonator (HOMER). Initially designed by Swales Aerospace, now part of ATK (www.atk.com), HOMER, based on laser technology, is planned as a measurement tool for long-term space-based altimetry: it’s designed to measure both altitude and minute pressure changes in the space station. Still undergoing NASA testing, the laser was created for a future biomass monitoring project, ie. growing plants in space.
The Swales laser case model, which the company considered impossible to prototype, which was too large for a typical 20- x 20- x 20-in. SLA build platform and required four pieces bonded together. At the same time, it was extremely detailed, with chambers and internal grooves smaller than 0.020 in.
