NASA has opened a section of their site devoted to 3D resources. These are models of spaceships, asteroids and various topographic models available in STL format, one of the main formats used in the field of 3D printing. Other models are in various formats such as 3DS, which is used in 3D modeling byt the program Autodesk 3ds Max, or MB, used by Autodesk Maya. It’s a resource just opened and for that reason referred to as Beta, but the plan is to add new models over time.
As always, the files available on NASA websites can be used freely for non-commercial purposes. This means that you can download the models and if you have access to a 3D printer you can freely reproduce them. The many 2D images available in this section can be used for your blog and for other personal purposes. Blender file are also available to insert them in your creations made with the famous free computer graphics program.
The models in STL format are scaled to have an approximate length of 10 cm (4 inches). Among those already available there are especially spacecraft of various types. There are space probe models that go from the old Pioneer and Voyager to the more recent Cassini, Dawn and Rosetta. There are “Martian” probes such as Mars Express and MRO and the Kepler space telescope. There are models of asteroids such as Vesta and topographic models such as the Gale Crater on Mars.
For now, the availability of models in 3DS and MB formats is much wider. It includes a lot more space probes, also the James Webb Space Telescope, which is still under construction. There are also models of the old Russian space station Mir and the International Space Station. There are various models of the Space Shuttles, rockets and other objects related to astronomy and space missions.
3D printers are not yet widespread, but over time it will be easier to have access to one of them with the ability to reproduce one of the models in this section of NASA website. For now, you can still try to work with the various models in order to create your own 2D and 3D images.
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