NASA said it's using commercially available generative AI software to design new spacecraft and mission hardware.
Dubbed "Evolved Structures," the specialized parts weigh less than traditional hardware, can be produced faster, and can handle higher structural loads.
The hardware will be used in the Exoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope (EXCITE), as well as Earth-atmosphere scanners, planetary instruments, astrophysics balloon observatories, and other mission equipment.
- "They look somewhat alien and weird," said NASA Research Engineer Ryan McClelland, "but once you see them in function, it really makes sense."
- McClelland led the design of the parts at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
- To create them, a computer-assisted design (CAD) specialist starts with the mission requirements, then draws surfaces where the hardware connects to the spacecraft or other equipment.
- The AI software then fills in the dots to create the missing part, which it can do in a fraction of the time as a human working alone, according to NASA.
