NASA, Ohio State to Study In-Space Use of Laser Beam Welding

NASA has partnered with The Ohio State University to enhance in-space manufacturing through laser beam welding.

The agency said Thursday the collaboration aims to boost the capabilities of manufacturing in space with the goal of eventually building large structures and doing repair work on the Moon and possibly paving the way for bringing humans to Mars and beyond.

The two organizations are working together to better understand how welding works in space, particularly the effects of laser beam welding in low gravity and in a combined vacuum. Researchers are evaluating the effects of simulated space conditions, including temperature and heat transfer in a vacuum, on welding.

A joint team from Ohio State’s Welding Engineering and Multidisciplinary Capstone Programs and Marshall’s Materials & Processes Laboratory was able to perform fiber laser beam welding while onboard a commercial aircraft that simulated reduced gravity and did parabolic flight maneuvers. During the test, researchers managed to complete 69 out of 70 laser welding experiments while floating in microgravity.

Andrew O’Connor, Marshall Space Flight Center materials scientist, said, “The ability to weld structures in space would also eliminate the need to transport rivets and other materials, reducing payloads for space travel.”