# How NASA is Leveraging AM to Accelerate Space Exploration

- Show: [Additive Snack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack)
- Published: 2023-02-16
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/7426fc16

## Summary

Paul Gradl, a principal engineer at NASA, discusses the integration of additive manufacturing (AM) into space exploration, highlighting the transition from early plastic prototypes to flight-qualified metal components like combustion chambers and injectors. He details NASA's collaboration with private companies through data sharing and commercial space act agreements, emphasizing the importance of understanding the entire process chain, including post-processing and certification. Gradl also addresses the lessons learned from field failures, such as witness line issues in GRCop-42 parts, and outlines the future of AM in space, including larger scale printing and in-situ resource utilization on the Moon and Mars.

## Chapters

- [0:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=21) Introduction: Additive Snack and the New Space Race
- [3:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=224) Paul Gradl's Career Journey and Early AM Exposure at NASA
- [7:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=446) The First Metal AM Parts and Hot Fire Testing at NASA Marshall
- [13:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=794) Current AM Applications: Combustion Chambers, Injectors, and Turbo Machinery
- [17:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=1038) NASA's Collaboration with Private Companies and Data Sharing
- [20:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=1253) Education, Certification, and the End-to-End Process Chain
- [27:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=1650) Case Study: GRCop-42 Combustion Chamber Failure and Witness Lines
- [32:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration#t=1979) The Future of AM: New Materials, Large Scale Printing, and In-Situ Manufacturing

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- NASA (company)
- Moxie (product)
- Mars Rover Perseverance (product)
- J2X engine (product)
- GRCop-42 (material)
- EOS (company)
- Relativity Space (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- MIT (company)
- Icon (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [21. AI Rescues Firefighters, NASA Prints Spacecraft Parts, Plug & Play Prosthetics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2021-06-08-21-ai-rescues-firefighters-nasa-prints-spacecraft-parts-plug-play-prosthetics) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [HIBT Lab! Ursa Major: Joe Laurienti](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-04-20-hibt-lab-ursa-major-joe-laurienti) (How I Built This)
- [The Digital Warehouse: A Look Inside Additive Manufacturing w/ Melanie Lang](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-03-01-the-digital-warehouse-a-look-inside-additive-manufacturing-w-melanie-lang) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Ep. 31 | NASA Astronauts Victor Glover and Michael Hopkins Talk Engineering at 17,000 mph](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-09-24-ep-31-nasa-astronauts-victor-glover-and-michael-hopkins-talk-engineering-at-17-0) (Moore's Lobby)
- [BONUS: Exploring Manufacturing Partnerships Part 2, Live from IMTS 2022 (brought to you by KUKA)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-11-11-bonus-exploring-manufacturing-partnerships-part-2-live-from-imts-2022-brought-to) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2023-02-16-how-nasa-is-leveraging-am-to-accelerate-space-exploration. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Additive Snack.