Auburn students partner with NASA on Mars mission

AUBURN, AL (WAFF) - NASA works with the brightest minds around the world, and that includes a new partnership with Auburn University.

Students and researchers will now work with NASA on its mission to travel to an asteroid and send a crew to Mars.

Fifteen years from now, NASA hopes to send humans to Mars. The mission could determine if life exists beyond Earth and discover if a human colony on the Red Planet is possible.

"Additive manufacturing is important in space for two reasons, one is to reduce the cost afford ability and sustainability of our launch vehicles, but it also helps us to live work and sustain ourselves in space, because when we leave low earth orbit, going to mars there are no ships along the way to help us so we will have to manufacture parts like we do now on the International Space Station to help us further our way into space," said Patrick Scheuermann, Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

The technology uses 3D printing to create complex, three-dimensional parts from powders. It's more cost effective, precise and faster and than traditional manufacturing.

The AU-NASA partnership was inked during Thursday's Auburn University forum on the new technology,  GE's Greg Morris was the key note speaker.

"Because it's additive and not subtractive, we can create twists and turns, lattice work that we can't do any other way by machining, the only way to make these components is by using additive manufacturing," said Greg Morris, GE Aviation General Manager, Additive Technologies.

The NASA Space Act agreement is similar to AU's partnership with GE Aviation, where students are already working at Auburn's GE Aviation's plant, the first facility in the world using high volume additive manufacturing to create jet engine parts.

"Our students will get hands on experience while the are students here at Auburn University, but also something that is very important is internships, we hope our students will be able to experience this activity both at NASA and also at GE Aviation," said Dr. John Mason.

NASA is using additive manufacturing to not only build components of the spacecraft going to Mars, but it's a key in sustaining the mission once humans are on the way.

Additive manufacturing can be used to print anything like clothes, shoes, and even food.

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