Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A 3D printer removed the need to launch every replacement part. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Crews have printed tools on the space station

A 3D printer removed the need to launch every replacement part The first printer flew in 2014 and made a ratchet among early test objects. Engineers compare printed parts with ground versions to learn how microgravity affects plastic layers. Printing is seen as groundwork for long missions where resupply is rare. It sits in Mondo's space collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Technology trivia

More facts like this

The International Space Station orbits Earth every 90 minutesTravelling at 28,000 kilometres per hour astronauts see sixteen sunsets every day The station recycles almost all of its waterUrine, sweat and cabin humidity are distilled back into drinking water The space station circles Earth every 90 minutesIt travels at about 7.7 kilometres a second at 400 kilometres altitude A Moonwalking spacesuit weighed about 127 kilogramsOn the Moon it pressed down with only about a fifth of that Bessemer process made steel cheap enough to build withBlowing air through molten iron burned out impurities in minutes 3D printing was patented by Chuck Hull in 1984 using stereolithographyUltraviolet lasers solidifying liquid photopolymer resin layer by layer created 3D objects

Tags: manufacturing, iss, engineering

Crews have printed tools on the space station: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A 3D printer removed the need to launch every replacement part. The figure is taken from NASA, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.