Made In Space is a startup whose goal was to build the first 3D printer designed specifically for the rigors of space travel and for use in zero-G.

My colleagues and I just 3D-printed a ratcheting socket wrench on the International Space Station by typing some commands on our computer in California.

We had overheard ISS Commander Barry Wilmore (who goes by “Butch”) mention over the radio that he needed one, so we designed one in CAD and sent it up to him faster than a rocket ever could have. This is the first time we’ve ever “emailed” hardware to space.

The ability to print replacement parts will be critical for long space voyages (to Mars, for example). Not sure how useful a plastic socket wrench will be in the real world. I wonder if there is a plan to bridge that gap, to create a hardened wrench, for example, that will withstand real-world torque.

[hat tip to John Kordyback]