www.engineeringnews.co.nz 19 days,” Sheinman says, adding that costs to the project were up to four times less than with a traditionally machined part. The bracket, however is just one of the mission’s firsts. ATLAS, itself, is a technical marvel, said ATLAS instrument scientist Tony Martino. It will be NASA’s first space-borne, photon-counting laser altimeter and is expected to usher in a new, more precise method for measuring surface elevations. The latest 3D printer is a versatile, comprehensive platform that can be used for industrial and office fabrication. It enables 3D printing in plastics, rubber, ceramics and chocolate, as well as 3D milling, laser cutting and engraving – all in one machine. Combined with 3D scanner and dedicated software it is a true mini-factory that sits on a desk. More than just 3D printer Whether it’s product development, a research project or something fun and useful, no other machine gives you more versatility. Print, cut, engrave at your own mini-factory. • CNC Milling • 3D Scanning • Laser Engraving • Custom tool heads We welcome your enquiry for a FREE no obligation quote P: 04 566 1700 M: 027 315 6053 e: anthony@ancoprint.co.nz EN022 With the multiple toolhead system you can go from 3D printing to cutting, engraving and more, in seconds. For 3D printing the printer can use a wide variety of printing materials – including standard plastics ABS, PLA, PVA, HIPS and many more filaments such as nylon, rubber, NinjaFlex, Laywood, Laybrick, Woodfill, etc. ZCNC milling tool and laser module enable cutting, milling, and engraving materials such as wood, plywood, balsa, paper cardboard, plastic, leather and many more. For more information contact Anco Print, Tel: 04 566 1700, or Visit: www.ancoprint.co.nz 3D PRINTER with scanner and interchangable heads As with its predecessor, ICESat-2 is designed to measure changes in icesheet elevations in Greenland and the Antarctic, sea-ice thicknesses, and global vegetation. However, it will execute its mission using a neverbefore flown technique. ICESat, which ended operations in 2009, employed a single laser, which made it more difficult to measure changes in the elevation of an ice sheet. With a single beam, researchers couldn’t tell if the snowpack had melted or if the laser was slightly off and pointed down a hill. ICESat-2 overcomes those challenges by splitting the green-light laser into six beams, arranged in three pairs, firing continuously at a rapid 10,000 pulses per second toward Earth. Unlike analogue-laser altimetry, which uses analog detectors and digitises the return signal, ICESat-2 will employ a technique called photon counting. Used in aircraft instruments, photon counting has not yet been used for altimetry in a spaceflight instrument. It more precisely records the timeof flight of individual photons as they travel from the instrument, reflect off Earth’s surface, and then are detected as they return to the instrument’s detectors — measurements that scientists use to calculate Earth’s surface elevation. Perhaps more important to scientists who want to know how the ice sheets change over time, the multiple beams will give scientists dense cross-track samples that will help them determine a surface’s slope, while the highpulse rate will allow ATLAS to take measurements every 2.3 feet along the satellite’s ground path — all at a higher resolution due to the photon counting. “This is one of the new capabilities,” Martino says. “We’re getting cross track slope every time the satellite passes over.” Furthermore, the satellite will pass over the same area every 90 days during ICESat-2’s threeyear mission, giving scientists a very detailed multi-year snapshot of how the ice is changing. “It’s almost completely built,” Martino says, adding that the spacecraft will fly on the last Delta II launch vehicle. “All functional parts are there and our first comprehensive testing starts in February. We’re on track.”
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