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3-D printer makes hardware from asteroid metal

Image: 3-D printed hardware
This spacecraft prototype was created on a 3-D printer using metal from a meteorite found in Argentina. The object sits on the part of the space rock that was left over. (Credit: Planetary Resources)

A palm-sized prototype spacecraft is the first geometric object to be 3-D printed from asteroid metal, Redmond-based Planetary Resources says.

The shiny object is being shown off at the International CES show in Las Vegas to boost Planetary Resources’ vision of mining precious materials from near-Earth asteroids. The feat also gives a boost to 3D Systems’ direct metal printer.

“It’s really an eye-opener for people,” Planetary Resources’ president and CEO, Chris Lewicki, told GeekWire.

Get the full story on GeekWire.

 

By Alan Boyle

Mastermind of Cosmic Log, contributor to GeekWire and Universe Today, author of "The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference," past president of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.

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