BRS Aerospace and NASA advances provide safety system for small planes. Photo Credit/NASA photo
NASA offered strong evidence on Wednesday that its missions and activities represent long range investments in breakthrough technologies that demonstrate down-to-Earth benefits for the vast majority of us – the men and women who will never see the inside of a space ship or turn a wrench on a deep space probe.
These technologies are called “spinoffs,” and they frequently come as NASA works with the private sector to achieve innovation. It’s work that fuels economic growth.
And NASA documents these contributions annually. This year’s publication, NASA Spinoff 2010, includes 218 pages of tales of breakthrough in fields that range from Health and Medicine; Transportation; Public Safety; Consumer Goods; Environmental Research; Computer Technology; and Industrial Production.
To view this year’s publication, click here.
All told, NASA has documented more than 1,700 examples of “spinoffs” since 1976 in the annual reports.
There seems to be something for everyone in these reports, from pilots to teenagers pondering their cell phone options or treatments to clear their skin.
Here are just a few examples of NASA’s fascinating work from 2010.
Health and Medicine:
Long running research at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio that improved techniques for burnishing metal alloys for aircraft engine turbines has been used to reduce wear and tear on hip transplants.
At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., researchers developed eye glass lenses that filter out harmful space radiation. That same technology is now used by Eagle Eyes Optics in consumer sunglasses that filter out damaging solar radiation while improving clarity for those who wear them..
In Transportation
Ever notice the upturned wingtips on the newest Boeing jetliners. The use of “winglets” was pioneered by NASA’s Langley Research Center and Dryden Flight Research Center. The use of “winglets” has conserved an estimated two million gallons of jet fuel, saving frequent fliers $4 billion. Winglets are environmentally friendly as well, saving more than 21 tons of carbon emissions.
For the owners of small planes, Langley research led improved the development of huge whole aircraft parachute systems. The mega parachutes have saved pilots of small planes in distress. With lighter weight materials, larger planes are being equipped with the big chutes.
Public Safety
At the Glenn Research Center, engineers helped to turn an inflatable antenna initially devised for space communications into a critical asset for disaster relief. Employed during the response to Hurricane Katrina and recent California wildfires, the inflatable antennas can provide temporary Internet and e-mail services as well as Internet phone service and broadcast relay.
At the Ames Research Center, a small spectrometer envisioned as a sensor on planetary missions for the identification of alien chemistry has been incorporated into hand held devices used by the military and civilian authorities to identify traces of explosives and hazardous biological agents.
At the Marshall Space Flight Center, engineers developed a small transmitter to check spacecraft and their fuel tanks for cracks and other materials weaknesses. The device is now used by construction and utility companies as a means for finding flaws in building materials that could lead to a public safety threat.
Environmental Resources:
At the Kennedy Space Center, researchers developed a water quality analyzer for hydroponic growth chambers on space missions. The analyzer is now used to monitor public health threats at water and wastewater production facilities around the world.
At Marshall, engineers team with a commercial research team to develop a strain of bacteria for the purification of water supplies in space. The strain is now used for the clean up of waste water and water at livestock facilities.
Consumer Products:
At Glenn, scientists were asked to improve the efficiency of cooling systems intended to keep astronauts comfortable while inside lunar spacecraft. Their efforts led to the development of an improved heat pump and a coolant additive known commercially as QwikBoost.
Consumers can find the additive in a brand of automobile antifreeze, Arctic Freeze.
At the Johnson Space Center, a scientist worked on techniques for developing microcapsules in the weightless of space that could be used to target cancerous tumors with medications. That same technology is now used by Farouk Systems, Inc., to produce a line of hair styling irons, hair dryers and nail polishes.
International Space Station, poised for new breakthroughs. Photo Credit/NASA Photo
NASA expects to step up its spinoff contributions with the International Space Station, which is nearing the end of assembly as the shuttle fleet is retired in 2011. The six-person orbital outpost has 150 experiments under way at any one time in fields ranging from human physiology, the environment, biology, and new medications.