Although SpiderFab is reminiscent of a creepy Halloween spider, this space technology could radically change the way we build and deploy spacecraft. The SpiderFab process for on-orbit construction of large, lightweight structures could dramatically reduce the launch mass and stowed volume of NASA systems for astronomy, Earth-observation, and other missions requiring large apertures or large baselines, enabling them to be deployed using much smaller, less expensive launch vehicles and thereby reducing total life cycle cost for these missions. This Phase II NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)-funded research is developing and demonstrating methods to address the key risk of fabrication in the thermal and vacuum environment of space. To learn more, read on: https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech/niac/2013phaseII_hoyt.html#.VFOnmt7j4yB
