UAB's School of Engineering has secured a NASA contract to support America’s return to the moon.

UAB’s School of Engineering has secured a NASA contract to support America’s return to the moon. The schools Engineering and Innovative Technology Development research group was awarded a $37 million contract to develop a freezer to return temperature-sensitive materials from the moon, as well as the Gateway Space Station. The group will design, test and deploy the Lunar Freezer System, as well as give engineering support. The technology is meant for various launch vehicles and will be incorporated into the Orion Crew Module, which is meant not only for lunar missions but deep space trips to Mars. According to UAB, the contract will run for 66 months and could be extended through June 2033. Chad Duke, the group’s director, said the contract will allow a “completely new avenue to apply our expertise.” “The LFS contract represents the next step in extending our expertise to support NASA’s return to the lunar surface and hopefully lead to supporting future exploration of deep space,” Duke said.

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