Meet James, the world's youngest space engineer.

His City X Project invention was printed onboard the International Space Station in early 2015.

The Story

In 2013 we ran one of our first City X Project workshops in Appleton, Wisconsin. We also created the first civilian space engineer. His name is James. He’s 11.

In our workshop, kids are challenged to create inventions for the citizens of City X, the first human settlement on another planet, where everything is being created with 3D printers.

James created an invention for Miguel, who is facing a health issue in City X.

James invented the Health Coaster (schematic below!), an all-in-one healthcare solution for not just Miguel, but all of the citizens of City X.

Using the design process, James made his model stand out because he didn’t just think about physically healing Miguel. He enhanced his invention to take care of other important parts of health too, such as hunger (an M&M® dispenser!), relaxation (a foot massager!), and fun (it rides on a rollercoaster track!).

Working with Made In Space to 3D print one of our kids’ inventions is a spectacular opportunity to make the point that our science fiction story is not so much fiction as it is science.

Already we are bringing 3D printers to the International Space Station. Within the lifetimes of the kids in our workshops, we really could be using space travel and 3D printers to build the first city off of Earth. This is an idea that ignites the imaginations of kids and encourages them, our team, and the team at Made In Space to care deeply about STEM education.

The Invention

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