NASA seeks student designs

Tommy Power uses his 3-D printer to solve day-to-day annoyances like his cats knocking his toothbrush off of his countertop.

In about 20 minutes, the UF aerospace engineering senior designed a toothbrush holder his pets can’t push over.

“My favorite thing about 3-D printing is the fast workflow from idea to design to product,” Power said.

Students like Power are the subject of NASA’s 2016 International Space Station Design Challenge, which is open until Oct. 7. NASA, which partnered with Mouser Electronics for the competition, is looking for designs of household items that can be 3-D printed in space to help astronauts living in a weightless environment, according to a press release.

The winner receives a 3-D printer and a technology consultation, and the winning design will be printed aboard the International Space Station.

In a promotional video, judge and retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said useful items — like Power’s toothbrush holder — would be well-received in space.

“There’s just a whole rainbow of things that we might find useful on board the spaceship,” Hadfield said.

Designs can be submitted at mouser.com.

Although Power said he wouldn’t participate in the competition, he said expanding the use of 3-D printing to space stations would be impressive.

“I do believe it is a useful step for supporting life in space, as it is an extremely versatile tool,” he said.