Funding has been extended and expanded for the aerospace crew, robotics, avionics and equipment work performed by UAB's Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering (CBSE) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The new contract is valued at more than $70 million and is shared among UAB and three out-of-state engineering firms.
The contract involves spacewalk activity equipment, flight-crew health and conditioning systems, environmental control and life support equipment. It also sustains the UAB-designed cryogenic freezer units called GLACIER, along with a smaller refrigerator called MERLIN, for continued use on the International Space Station and advanced NASA vehicles. The equipment also is designed for commercial space flight and components are mostly monitored through a remote-operations center located at CBSE.
