Orak picked up his bag and wore it on his shoulders. He closed his eyes and summoned his Tempus Machine. “Oi!” Scorch shouted from the door, “Where are you off to without us?”
Orak smiled sheepishly, “I was going to wait for you all.” He added, “I read a new study. The study stated that planet Mars’ soil can be used to 3D print tools on Mars. I want to go to Mars and check if it really works.”
“What tools? What does the study mean?” Verum asked.
Orak explained, “Mars is the third planet from the Sun. It is also known as the Red Planet.
Humans want to explore Mars. They are planning to send astronauts to the planet in the next 10 years. But Mars is not a safe place for humans. So, many scientists and researchers are trying to find new ways to help this human mission to Mars.
One such team of researchers at Washington State University in the United States (US) found that astronauts could 3D print tools on Mars using Mars’ soil.”
“3D printing uses a printer to create three-dimensional (3D) objects such as cups,” Orak added.
“How did the team come to this conclusion?” Scorch said.
“The team experimented with fake Martian rock in the lab. They tried different combinations to see which soil made the best tools. And they found the perfect one! Martian rock mixed with metal titanium alloy made the strongest tools!” Orak said.
“It’s an important discovery because it is difficult to carry every material to space. It is very expensive. For example, it costs $54,000 just to take one kilogram of material into the Earth’s orbit.
And then what if astronauts forget to carry certain tools? They can’t just pop back to Earth to pick up the tools. Humans don’t have tempus machines like I do, right?!
So, this method can be used to print tools or spare parts for rockets on Mars itself. It is a cheaper and easier method,” Orak said.
“This 3D printing method is so much easier and also a lot cheaper,” Verum commented.
“Yes!” Orak said. “Now, let’s go to Mars!” Scorch said.
Orak, Verum, and Scorch boarded the tempus machine. “Wait for me, wait for me,” Felix came running with his little legs.