Astronauts Getting 3-D Printer For Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (CBSMiami/AP) — Astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS) are getting something new and it prints in 3-D.
NASA is sending a 3-D printer to the ISS in hopes that astronauts will be able to one day fix their spacecraft by cranking out spare parts on the spot.
The printer is among more than 5,000 pounds of space station cargo that's stuffed into a SpaceX Dragon capsule for a pre-dawn liftoff Saturday from Cape Canaveral.
SpaceX is making the supply run for NASA, the same California company that just won a huge contract to deliver U.S. astronauts to the space station.
Its Falcon 9 rocket with an unmanned Dragon is scheduled to blast off at 2:14 a.m. Forecasters said there's a 50-50 chance that rainy weather may delay the flight.
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