NASA Hot-Fire Testing 3-D Print

Engineers know that 3-D printed rocket parts have the potential to save money and to open up new affordable design possibilities. But until recently, no one had tested rocket parts critical to engine combustion in a hot-fire environment. NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center put 3-D printed rocket engine parts to the test, comparing their performance to parts made the old-fashioned way during planned subscale acoustic tests for the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket.