HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — On the heels of NASA's historic landing of the "Perseverance" rover on Mars, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center unveils its new Dare to Explore: Milestone to Mars exhibit in collaboration with the aerospace company Lockheed Martin.
Our WZDX News reporter has more on the six-decade journey of space exploration and innovation.
"We're also developing things that will be needed to develop life and to be able to have advanced life support systems. What we need to live, breathe, and work," says Marshall Space Flight Center Director, Jody Singer.
The possibility of life on Mars isn't too far fetched.
Some of the most innovative technologies on display include 3-D printing used to build out-of-this world structures.
"Folks have heard of what's called a traditional 3D which is FDM, which is FDM where you're doing layer upon layer, and you can do that out of plastics or metals or so forth, but using layer upon layer takes a lot to produce," says Branch Technology Chief Commercial Officer, Mitch Lewandowski.
This is where the group, Branch Technology, comes in, a manufacturer based in Chattanooga, Tennnessee. "Branch technology has developed what is called c-fab, or cellular fabrication which cellular fabrication allows us to print in open space, and using this matrix type of capability extremely efficiently," says Lewandowski.
The manufacturing company says it's lightweight and requires less material. "This is an example of what could look like - 3D printing in outer space, on the Moon or on Mars," says Lewandowski.
Lockheed Martin contributed $150,000 toward the exhibit.