# @ucberkeleyofficial on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DPzzJdpAXIk
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/64635373-ucberkeleyofficial-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/65c3877173.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-15T00:13:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** UC Berkeley (@ucberkeleyofficial) — https://gondola.cc/ucberkeleyofficial

## Caption

Houston, we have a solution: UC Berkeley researchers have created a 3D printer that works in zero gravity, potentially giving astronauts the power to create replacement parts on the fly. 

You may recall the iconic scene from “Apollo 13” where NASA engineers scramble to use random parts to create a device to purge carbon dioxide from the spacecraft. While these situations are rare, astronauts do find themselves needing to repair mechanics onboard.

Developed by engineering professor Hayden Taylor, the printer works by projecting patterns of light into a photo-sensitive liquid resin. When the resin is exposed to a certain threshold of light, it reacts to form a solid object. While normal 3D printers rely on gravity to hold objects in place as they form, this light-based 3D printer has no such limitation, making it particularly well-suited to use aboard spacecraft.

“We hope that someday it may be used to manufacture everything from parts and tools for spacecraft to new contact lenses and dental crowns for crew members,” said Berkeley graduate student Taylor Waddell.

In 2024, Waddell and the team sent the printer to space for the first time as part of the Virgin Galactic 07 mission. In their next experiment, they will attach 3D printed objects to the outside of the International Space Station to understand how they will resist exposure to harsh particles in space, such as atomic oxygen.

🔗 Visit the link in our bio to learn more about how Berkeley research is changing the world: berkeley.edu/research-impact

#ResearchWithResults #UCBerkeley

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 1,290
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 15

## Tags

researchwithresults, ucberkeley

---
Copyright (c) Gondola