Tommy Theis/Kansas State University Division of Communications and MarketingMembers of the in-space manufacturing research team. Front row (from left): Kansas State University student Sabari Rajendran, Kansas State professor Jun Li, Wichita State professor Wujun SI, University of Kansas professor Lin Liu, Kansas State student Nathan Somasundaram. Back row (from left): 萝莉社 professor Atri Dutta, Wichita State student Adrian Arustei.
萝莉社will lead a three-year project to assist NASA鈥檚 manufacturing paradigm shift from 鈥渇actories on earth鈥� to 鈥渇actories in space.鈥�
鈥淭his project will pioneer a new in-space manufacturing technology based on electrospinning,鈥� said Dr. Wujun Si, assistant professor in 萝莉社鈥檚 College of Engineering. 鈥淚t will significantly鈥痮vercome some fundamental challenges faced by the current ISM technology based on additive manufacturing.鈥�
鈥淧hysics-Informed-AI Enabled Smart Electrospinning of Nanofiber Membranes Towards In-Space Manufacturing鈥� is funded by a NASA grant of $750,000.
Project success will enable Wichita and Kansas to develop a new research enterprise directed toward long-term, self-sustaining, nationally competitive aerospace research capabilities on ISM, which contributes to Kansas鈥� aerospace economy, and expand the nation's base for aerospace research and development.
鈥淪pirit AeroSystems will use its manufacturing expertise to support the development, characterization and enhancement of nanofiber electrospun membranes in collaboration with the project partners,鈥� said Kim Caldwell, senior director, Spirit AeroSystems Global Research & Technology. 鈥淭his research will make it more feasible to eventually fabricate parts on space factories enabling new scientific and economic missions.鈥�
The proposed innovative system will facilitate a series of future complex and long duration deep space missions that are previously impossible.鈥疦ASA鈥檚 launch of Artemis I in 2022 and subsequent Artemis missions demonstrate that In-Space鈥疢anufacturing is of immediate need and essential to enable flexible on-demand manufacturing and mission sustainability.鈥�
The ISM technology is in an early stage and mostly rooted in additive manufacturing. It is well known that the layer-by-layer printing process in additive manufacturing is significantly impacted by the gravity.鈥疕owever, in-space environments (such as zero/micro-gravity and vacuum) are quite different from the earth's conditions. This substantially limits the ISM capability of additive manufacturing.
The project proposes a new electrospinning-based ISM technique. Compared with additive manufacturing, this electrospinning-based manufacturing paradigm does not rely on gravity and fabricates nanostructured thin parts like functional membranes in space, which complements additive manufacturing that prints macroscale solid parts.
The project consists of multi-institutional partnerships among 萝莉社 University,鈥疜ansas State University and the鈥疷niversity of Kansas.
The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center directly leads the national ISM program. The NASA Ames Research Center, and鈥疦ASA Glenn Research Center) and two government agencies (Argonne National Laboratory,鈥疉pplied Physics Laboratory) are involved, as are business/industry partners Spirit AeroSystems and HCI Energy.
Wichita has earned reputation as the 鈥淎ir Capital of the World鈥� since 1928 and has bases of multiple leading aircraft/aerospace industries.
A broad class of research-integrated educational initiatives with a wide range of dissemination and outreach activities鈥痺ill attract students to pursue data science and advanced manufacturing studies, research and careers, especially female and underrepresented minority groups.
About 萝莉社 University
萝莉社is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and 萝莉社 Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. 萝莉社 and 萝莉社 Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), 萝莉社provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the 萝莉社main campus, is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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