Space manufacturing is the production of manufactured goods in an environment outside a planetary atmosphere. Typically this includes conditions of microgravity and hard vacuum. Manufacturing in space has several potential advantages over Earth-based industry. Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... Jump to: navigation, search A planet in common parlance is a large object in orbit around a star that is not a star itself. ... Saturns atmosphere is made up of hydorgen, helium and methane ... Astronauts on the International Space Station display an example of weightlessness Weightlessness is the experience (by people and objects) during freefall, of having no weight. ... For other uses, see vacuum cleaner and Vacuum (musical group). ...

1. The unique environment can allow for industrial processes that can not be readily reproduced on Earth.
2. Raw materials can be collected and processed from other bodies within the solar system at a relatively low expense compared to the cost of lifting materials into orbit.
3. Potentially hazardous processes can be performed in space with minimal risk to the environment of the Earth or other planets.

Comparison of insulin crystal growth in outer space (left) and on Earth (right). NASA image.

The space environment is expected to be beneficial for production of a variety of products. Once the heavy capitalization costs of assembling the mining and manufacturing facilities is paid, the production will need to be economically profitable in order to become self-sustaining and beneficial to society. The most significant cost is overcoming the energy hurdle for boosting materials into orbit. Once this barrier is significantly reduced in cost per kilogram, the entry price for space manufacturing can make it much more attractive to entrepreneurs. Jump to: navigation, search Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system is the retinue of objects gravitationally bound to our Sun. ... Image File history File links Description: This is a comparison of insulin crystals grown in outer space (left) to those grown on Earth (right). ... Image File history File links Description: This is a comparison of insulin crystals grown in outer space (left) to those grown on Earth (right). ... Jump to: navigation, search The structure of insulin Red: carbon; green: oxygen; blue: nitrogen; pink: sulfur. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... Outer space (also called just space) as a name for a region, refers to the relatively empty parts of the Universe, outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. ... Jump to: navigation, search Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... Jump to: navigation, search NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Capital has a number of related meanings in economics, finance and accounting. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ...

Economic requirements of space manufacturing imply a need to collect the requisite raw materials at a minimum energy cost. The economical movement of material in space is directly related to the delta-v, or change in velocity required to move from the mining sites to the manufacturing plants. Near-earth asteroids and the lunar surface have much a lower delta-v compared to launching the materials from the surface of the Earth. General In general physics delta-v is simply the change in velocity. ... Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are asteroids whose orbit intersects Earths orbit and which may therefore pose a collision danger, as well as being most easily accessible for spacecraft from Earth. ... Lunar may refer to: an adjective that means having to do with or pertaining to the Moon, or to moons in general. ...

History

During the Soyuz 6 mission, Russian astronauts performed the first welding experiments in space. Three different welding processes were tested using a hardware unit called Vulkan. The tests included welding aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. Soyuz 6 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... General Name, Symbol, Number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 47. ... The pinnacle of New Yorks Chrysler Building is clad with stainless steel In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ...

The Skylab mission, launched in May, 1973, served as a laboratory to perform various space manufacturing experiments. The station was equipped with a materials processing facility that included a multi-purpose electric furnace, a crystal growth chamber, and an electron beam gun. Among the experiments to be performed was research on molten metal processing; photographing the behavior of ignited materials in zero-gravity; crystal growth; processing of immiscible alloys; brazing of stainless steel tubes, electron beam welding, and the formation of spheres from molten metal. The crew spent a total of 32 man-hours on materials science and space manufacturing investigation during the mission. Jump to: navigation, search Drawing of Skylab with components labelled Skylab was the United Statess first space station. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... A furnace is a device for heating air or any other fluid. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... Jump to: navigation, search Properties The electron is a fundamental subatomic particle which carries a negative electric charge. ... An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, which has a combination of at least two metals, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. ... Brazing is a joining process whereby a non-ferrous filler metal and an alloy are heated to melting temperature (above 450°C / 800°F) and distributed between two or more close-fitting parts by capillary action. ... The pinnacle of New Yorks Chrysler Building is clad with stainless steel In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ... Electron beam welding is a welding process where the energy to melt the material is applied by an electron beam. ... Physics In physics, melting is the process of heating a solid substance to a point (called melting point) where it turns liquid. ...

The Space Studies Institute began hosting a bi-annual Space Manufacturing Conference in 1977. Cover of procedings for 7th Space Manufacturing conference. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

Microgravity research in materials processing continued in1983 using the Spacelab facility. This module has been carried into orbit 26 times aboard the Space Shuttle, as of 2002. In this role the shuttle has served as an interim, short-duration research platform in lieu of the upcoming International Space Station. Jump to: navigation, search 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Spacelab in payload bay during STS-90 Spacelab is a microgravity laboratory flown into space on the Space Shuttle. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search ISS Statistics Crew: 2 As of August 21, 2005 Perigee: 352. ...

In February 1994 and September 1995, the Wake Shield Facility was carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle. This demonstration platform used the vacuum created in the orbital wake to manufacture thin films of gallium arsenide and aluminum gallium arsenide. Jump to: navigation, search 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Deployment of the WSF using the Space Shuttle robotic arm. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ... This article is about the chemical compound. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ...

The completion of the International Space Station is expected to provide expanded and improved facilities for performing industrial research. These will lead to improvements in our knowledge of materials sciences, new manufacturing techniques on Earth, and potentially some important discoveries in space manufacturing methods. The completion of this facility has been delayed due to safety problems with the Space Shuttle. Jump to: navigation, search ISS Statistics Crew: 2 As of August 21, 2005 Perigee: 352. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

On May 31, 2005, the recoverable, unmanned Foton-M2 laboratory was launched into orbit. Among the experiments were crystal growth and the behavior of molten-metal in weightlessness. Jump to: navigation, search 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Foton-M2 in a space mission aboard an unmanned Foton-M spacecraft carrying a mainly European payload by the European Space Agency (ESA). ...

Environment

There are several unique differences between the properties of materials in space compared to the same materials on the Earth. These differences can be exploited to produce unique or improved manufacturing techniques.

• The microgravity environment allows control of convection in liquids or gasses, and the elimination of sedimentation. Diffusion becomes the primary means of material mixing, allowing otherwise missible materials to be intermixed. The environment allows enhanced growth of larger, higher-quality crystals in solution.
• The ultraclean vacuum of space allows the creation of very pure materials and objects. The use of vapor deposition can be used to build up materials layer by layer, free from defects.
• Surface tension causes liquids in microgravity to form perfectly round spheres. This can cause problems when trying to pump liquids through a conduit, but it is very useful when perfect spheres of consistent size are needed for an application.
• Space can provide readily available extremes of heat and cold. Sunlight can be focused to concentrate enough heat to melt the materials, while objects kept in perpetual shade are exposed to temperatures close to absolute zero. The temperature gradient can be exploited to produce strong, glassy materials.

Materials processing

For most manufacturing applications, specific material requirements must be satisfied. Mineral ores need to be refined to extract specific metals, and volatile organic compounds will need to be purified. Ideally these raw materials are delivered to the processing site in an economical manner, where time to arrival, propulsion energy expenditure, and extraction costs are factored into the planning process. Minerals can be obtained from asteroids, the lunar surface, or a planetary body. Volatiles could potentially be obtained from a comet or the moons of Mars. It may also prove possible to extract Hydrogen from the cold traps at the poles of the Moon. This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ... An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... Refining is the process of purification of a substance, usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, but which is more useful in its pure form. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. ... U.S. Economic Calendar Economics at the Open Directory Project Economics textbooks on Wikibooks The Economists Economics A-Z Institutions and organizations Bureau of Labor Statistics - from the American Labor Department Center for Economic and Policy Research (USA) National Bureau of Economic Research (USA) - Economics material from the organization... Propulsion method may refer to a number of different articles: For a list of space transport methods, see spacecraft propulsion. ... In chemistry, liquid-liquid extraction is a useful method to separate components (compounds) of a mixture. ... Planning Planning is the management functions that is concerned with defining goals for future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and resources needed to be used in order to attain the said goals. ... Jump to: navigation, search An asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun. ... Photo of the comet Hale-Bopp above a tree. ... Jump to: navigation, search Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Jump to: navigation, search Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ...

Another potential source of raw materials, at least in the short term, is recycled orbiting satellites and other man-made objects in space. Some consideration was given to the use of the Space Shuttle external fuel tanks for this purpose, but NASA determined that the potential benefits were outweighed by the increased risk to crew and vehicle. The Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building. ... Jump to: navigation, search NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ...

Unless the materials processing and the manufacturing sites are co-located with the resource extraction facilities, the raw materials will need to be moved about the solar system as needed. There are several efficient means of providing propulsion for this material, including solar sails, electric ion thrusters, or mass drivers. This last method uses a sequence of electromagnets mounted in a line to accelerate a conducting material. Jump to: navigation, search Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system is the retinue of objects gravitationally bound to our Sun. ... Concept image of a solar sail spacecraft in the process of unfurling sails. ... An ion engine test An ion thruster is one of several types of spacecraft propulsion that uses beams of ions for propulsion. ... A mass driver for lunar launch (artists conception) A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a method of spacecraft propulsion that would use a linear motor to accelerate payloads up to high speeds. ...

At the materials processing facility, the incoming materials will need to be captured by some means. Maneuvering rockets attached to the load can park the content in a matching orbit. Alternatively, if the load is moving at a low delta-v relative to the destination, then it can be captured by means of a mass-catcher. This could consist of a large, flexible net or inflatable structure that would transfer the momentum of the mass to the larger facility. Once in place, the materials can be moved into place by mechanical means or by means of small thrusters. General In general physics delta-v is simply the change in velocity. ... In physics, momentum is a physical quantity related to the velocity and mass of an object. ...

Materials can be used for manufacturing either in their raw form, or by processing them to extract the constituent elements. Processing techniques include various chemical, thermal, electrolitic, and magnetic methods for separation. In the near term, relatively straight-forward methods can be used to extract aluminum, iron, oxygen, and silicon from lunar and asteroidal sources. Less concentrated elements will likely require more advanced processing facilities, which may have to wait until a space manufacturing infrastructure is fully developed. Chemistry (in Greek: χημεία) is the science of matter that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and with the transformations that they undergo. ... A red-hot iron rod cooling after being worked by a blacksmith. ... I LOVE CHAMI In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating bonded elements and compounds by passing an electric current through them. ... Jump to: navigation, search Magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet shown by iron filings on paper A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number silicon, Si, 14 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 14, 3, p Appearance dark gray, bluish tinge Atomic mass 28. ...

Some of the chemical processes will require a source of hydrogen for the production of water and acid mixtures. Hydrogen gas can also be used to extract oxygen from the lunar regolith, although the process is not very efficient. So a readily available source of useful volatiles is a positive factor in the development of space manufacturing. Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Jump to: navigation, search An acid (often represented by the generic formula AH) is typically a water-soluble, sour-tasting chemical compound. ... Jump to: navigation, search Regolith is a layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock. ...

One proposed method of purify asteroid materials is through the use of carbon monoxide. Heating the material to 500 °F and exposing it to CO causes the metals to form gaseous carbonyls. This vapor can then be distilled to separate out the metal components, and the CO can then be recovered by another heating cycle. Thus the automated ship can scrape up loose surface materials from, say, the relatively nearby 4660 Nereus (in delta-v terms), process the ore using solar heating and CO, and eventually return with a load of almost pure metal. The economics of this process can potentially allow the material to be extracted at one-twentieth the cost of launching from Earth, but it would require a two-year round trip to return any mined ore. Carbon monoxide, chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, flammable and highly toxic gas. ... In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... 4660 Nereus is a small (1 km in diameter) asteroid, discovered by Eleanor F. Helin on February 28, 1982. ...

Manufacturing

Due to speed of light constraints, manufacturing in space at a distant point of resource acquisition will either require completely autonomous robotics to perform the labor, or a human crew with all the accompanying habitat and safety requirements. If the plant is built in orbit around the Earth, however, telecheric devices can be used for certain tasks that require human intelligence and flexibility. Cherenkov effect in a swimming pool nuclear reactor. ... Jump to: navigation, search Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... Telerobotics is the area of robotics that is concerned with the control of robots from a distance, chiefly using wireless connections ( like WiFi and similar). ...

Solar power provides a readily available power source for thermal processing. Even with heat alone, simple thermally-fused materials can be used for basic construction of stable structures. Bulk soil from the Moon or asteroids has a very low water content, and when melted to form glassy materials is very durable. These simple, glassy solids can be used for the assembly of habitats on the surface of the Moon or elsewhere. The solar energy can be concentrated in the manufacturing area using an array of steerable mirrors. Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. ... The materials definition of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, usually produced when a suitably viscous molten material cools very rapidly, thereby not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. ... A mirror is a reflective surface that is smooth enough to form an image. ...

The availability and favorable physical properties of metals will make them a major component of space manufacturing. Most of the metal handling techniques used on Earth can also be adopted for space manufacturing, but a few will need significant modifications. The microgravity environment of space will necessitate modifications to some metal handling techniques.

The production of hardened steel in space will introduce some new factors. Carbon only appears in small proportions in lunar surface materials and will need to be delivered from elsewhere. Waste materials carried by humans from the Earth is one possible source, as are comets. The water normally used to quench steel will also be in short supply, and require strong agitation. Jump to: navigation, search The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Atomic mass 12. ...

Casting steel can be a difficult process in microgravity, requiring special heating and injection processes. Heating can be performed using sunlight combined with electrical heaters. The casting process would also need to be managed to avoid the formation of voids as the steel cools and shrinks. Casting is a process by which a material is introduced into a mold while it is liquid, allowed to solidify in the shape inside the mold, and then removed producing a fabricated object, part, or casing. ...

Various metal-working techniques can be used to shape the metal into the desired form. The standard methods are casting, drawing, forging, machining, rolling, and welding. Both rolling and drawing metals require heating and subsequent cooling. Forging and extrusion can require powered presses, as gravity is not available. Electron beam welding has already been demonstrated on board the Skylab, and will probably be the method of choice in space. Machining operations can require precision tools which will need to be imported from the Earth for some duration. Drawing is a manufacturing process for producing a wire, bar or tube by pulling on a material until it increases in length. ... This article is about smithing. ... A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ... Rolling is a fabricating process in which the metal, plastic, paper, glass, etc. ... Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ... Jump to: navigation, search Drawing of Skylab with components labelled Skylab was the United Statess first space station. ...

New space manufacturing technologies are being studied at places such as Marshall's National Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The methods being investigated include coatings that can be sprayed on surfaces in space using a combination of heat and kinetic energy, and free-form fabrication of parts. Approaches such as these, as well as examination of material properties can be invesigated in an orbiting laboratory, will be studied on the International Space Station. Jump to: navigation, search ISS Statistics Crew: 2 As of August 21, 2005 Perigee: 352. ...

Products

There are thought to be a number of useful products that can potentially be manufactured in space and result in an economic benefit. Research and development is required to determine the best commodities to be produced, and to find efficient production methods. The following products are considered prospective early candidates:

• Growth of protein crystals
• Improved semiconductor wafers
• Micro-encapsulation

As the infrastructure is developed and the cost of assembly drops, some of the manufacturing capacity can be directed toward the development of expanded facilities in space, including larger scale manufacturing plants. These will likely require the use of lunar and asteroid materials, and so follow the development of mining bases. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... Derka semiconductor is a material with an electrical conductance that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. ... Micro-encapsulation Small is better would be an appropriate motto for the many people studying microencapsulation, a process in which tiny particles or droplets are surrounded by a coating to give small capsules with many useful properties. ...

Ceramics made from lunar or asteroid soil can be employed for a variety of manufacturing purposes. These uses include various thermal and electrical insulators, such as heat shields for payloads being delivered to the Earth's surface. The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word Κεραμεικος (the name of a suburb of Athens), and in its strictest sense refers to clay in all its forms. ...

Metals can be used to assemble a variety of useful products, including sealed containers (such as tanks and pipes), mirrors for focusing sunlight, and thermal radiators. The use of metals for electrical devices will require the use of insulators for the wires, so a source of plastic (or some other flexible insulator) would be needed.

A notable output of space manufacturing is expected to be solar panels. Expansive solar energy arrays can be constructed and assembled in space. As the structure does not need to support the loads that would be experienced on Earth, huge arrays can be efficiently assembled out of proportionately smaller amounts of material. The generated energy can then be used to power manufacturing facilities, habitats, spacecraft, lunar bases, and even beamed down to collectors on the Earth with microwaves. This page is about the radiation; for the appliance, see microwave oven. ...

Other possibilities for space manufacturing include propellant for spacecraft, some repair parts, and, of course, larger factories. Ultimately, space manufacturing facilities can become nearly self-sustaining, requiring only minimal imports from the Earth. The microgravity environment allows for new possibilities in construction on a massive scale, including megascale engineering. These future projects can potentially assemble space elevators, massive solar array farms, very high capacity spacecraft, and rotating habitats capable of sustaining populations of tens of thousands of people in Earth-like conditions. Megascale engineering is defined as engineering structures on an enormous scale. ... Jump to: navigation, search A space elevator would consist of a cable attached to the surface and reaching outwards into space. ...

References

• Andrew H. Cutler, Metallurgical Properties of Lunar and Asteroidal Steels, 7th Princeton/AIAA/SSI Conference, 1985.
• David Gump, Space Enterprise: Beyond NASA, Praeger Publishers, 1990, ISBN 0-275-93314-8.
• T. A. Heppenheimer, Colonies in Space, 1977, Stackpole Books, ISBN 0-8117-0397-5.

See also: 1984 in literature, other events of 1985, 1986 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1989 in literature, other events of 1990, 1991 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1976 in literature, other events of 1977, 1978 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

See also

• Acid leaching
• Asteroid mining
• Self-replication
• Space colonization
• Space elevator
• Spacelab

Leaching is the process of extracting a substance from a solid by dissolving it in a liquid. ... 433 Eros is a stony asteroid in a near-Earth orbit Asteroid mining may soon be a method for gathering resources. ... Self-replication is the process by which some things make copies of themselves. ... Artists conception of a space habitat called the Stanford torus, by Don Davis Space colonization, also called space settlement and space humanization, is the hypothetical permanent autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. ... Jump to: navigation, search A space elevator would consist of a cable attached to the surface and reaching outwards into space. ... Spacelab in payload bay during STS-90 Spacelab is a microgravity laboratory flown into space on the Space Shuttle. ...

External links

• PERMANENT — near-term space resource utilization
• Space Studies Institute
• Manufacturing in space
• SKYLAB: A Guidebook (see Chapter 5, section 4)
• Space-age welding
• Spacehab
• Wake Shield Facility program