Auburn University has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to explore and advance the applications of additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing.
The act was signed yesterday by Dr. John Mason, Auburn's vice president for research and economic development, along with Patrick Scheuermann, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
The agreement will allow Auburn students to engage in NASA's missions and opportunities, investigate and develop technologies and share NASA facilities and technical expertise.
Mason says the agreement will also allow for more internship opportunities for Auburn students with organizations like NASA and GE Aviation.
The Marshall Center has used additive manufacturing to build and test rocket engine components and manufacture the first 3D printed parts aboard the International Space Station. Those parts are currently undergoing rigorous testing at the Marshall Center.
Lawyers for a death row inmate say Alabama should be forced to disclose more information about lethal injection procedures. APR's Stan Ingold reports they’re concerned about the drugs used in the procedure.
Attorneys for inmate Tommy Arthur in a court filing say the state needs to disclose information including how the drugs are delivered, how inmate consciousness is monitored and the expiration dates of drugs in hand.
The state is seeking to resume executions after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Oklahoma's use of the sedative midazolam, the same drug that Alabama plans to begin using.
A federal judge must decide what to do with Arthur's challenge to the use of the drug as cruel and unusual punishment.
The Alabama attorney general's office says that the drug has been ruled legal. Arthur's lawyer says Alabama's protocol is different from Oklahoma's.
The Fort Gaines National Park is hosting its 151st Battle of Mobile Bay Commemorative Day.
The event highlights the fort's integral role in the Battle of Mobile Bay. To honor the soldiers that fought in the battle, the fort's cannon will be fired every 45 minutes.
Ralph Oalmann is the blacksmith at historic Fort Gaines. He says they want to commemorate the sacrifice of the American soldiers involved in the battle.
“Our goal is to educate people on what took place here on the Gulf Coast in the Civil War. I hope they take a better sense of the tragedy of the four years of the war and the cost of lives, and a better idea of why the war took place.”
Oalmann says it was the largest naval battle by the U.S. up to that time. Visitors can also expect to see reenactments of soldiers' daily life and demonstrations on blacksmithing and musketry. The event will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.