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Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


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"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News


New startup unveils 3D printer for making rocket tanks and fairings

Rosotics, a new startup focusing on providing manufacturing components for rocket companies, has now unveiled a prototype of its proposed 3D printer, dubbed Mantis, for making rocket tanks and fairings.

Mesa, Arizona-based Rosotics plans to begin delivering the Mantis in the third quarter of 2023 to customers who place $95,000 deposits and sign hardware-as-a-service contracts. After delivery, Rosotics “will install, maintain and upgrade your hardware over time without any cost to you,” LaRosa said.

While the Mantis can be configured for various tasks, the starting point is a one printhead to additively manufacture aluminum or steel structures ranging in size from 1.5 to 8 meters in diameter.

The idea is sell this manufacturing capability to rocket companies as well as other manufacturers who need large structures built. Rather than machining these large structures themselves, or have outside machining companies do it for them, the companies would buy Mantis to do it in-house instead.

Whether this model will work depends on price and operations. Is it cheaper and quicker to use this 3D printer to make large rocket parts, or traditional methods? Obviously, Rosotics thinks it is. We will find out if others think so if Rosotics survives.

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One comment

  • Max

    “3-D printing”

    The article shows 3-D printing machine in its most basic form, only making rings in variable sizes for tanks and fairings.

    What I see is “the future” of space based manufacturing in 0G and Lo G (lunar)
    With no oxygen and impurities to contaminate the process, all they would need is the raw materials and the power to create any structure, mobile transportation (School bus sized mobile living quarters), raw materials smelting infrastructure, or housing in a desired location (either above ground, or a boring machine for underground living quarters and mining) without the cost and the bulkiness of earth rocket transportation.

    The high-tech parts can be launched into space for assembly, but the protective shell, beams, chassis can be 3-D printed from melting down the rocket itself and recycled into the necessary components for the “too heavy to lift” in to space. Even the junk satellites parked in maintenance orbit would suddenly have a high value.

    My first thought upon seeing this, was a 3-D printed dozer clearing a landing zone in a hard pan deep crater on the moon. Fill the wide body of the dozer with rock to add mass to its light weight frame.
    Then build a 3-D printed launch and capture tower (Mechzilla?) next to the crater wall which will facilitate loading and unloading to the underground base. Perhaps The rocket eventually can be lowered underground for pressurized maintenance, repair or fabrication.

    Eventually dozens of Capture towers will line the crater wall, and the ground will be hollow like an ant colony full of life… with a “rail gun” style launch system for placing rockets and supplies into lunar orbit without fuel.
    The first step before a Mars colony can be established. Mercury and the astroid belt/Jovian moons would be next.
    An exciting future is within our grasp!

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