SLS and Orion will propel our explorers into deep space, but did you know our next-generation spacecraft is already providing benefits on the ground? Check out a few of the technological spinoffs that are already enhancing safety and lowering costs for industries on Earth:
Design Software Lightens Aircraft Structures
Collier Research Corporation, of Hampton, Virginia, licensed NASA software to design strong structures while using as little weight as possible. The first ever license of NASA-developed software, HyperSizer has now been used to design commercial space transport vehicles as well as commercial aircraft and wind turbines. The company has sales of $4 million a year and has received several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to apply its software to nearly all aspects of the new Orion crew capsule design.
Advanced Manufacturing Techniques Create Better Nanotubes
To reduce Orion’s weight as much as possible, NASA explored the use of cutting-edge materials such as single-walled carbon nanotubes. SBIR contracts supported the development and demonstration of a nanotube production method pioneered by SouthWest NanoTechnologies Inc. (SWeNT), of Norman, Oklahoma. SWeNT’s scalable, efficient process results in mass-produced nanotubes that are customizable to client needs, purer than those created by other methods, and applicable in everything from advanced body armor to energy-efficient lighting.
