sc.4.e.5.5 grade 4 science earth, space, and seasonal changes

NASA Technology For astronauts living in space, getting adequate rest

is a challenge due to erratic schedules, microgravity-related ailments, and disrupted circadian rhythms

The Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), a 10-minute test which helps ascertain levels of fatigue, is too time-consuming of a process for busy astronauts

Johnson Space Center

Pulsar InformaticsPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

Benefits Trucking companies and commercial airlines use

the test to help prevent accidents caused by driver and pilot fatigue

Since the NASA collaboration, the number of full-time engineers and computer developers has grown from 3 to 24, and revenues have grown 75 percent every year

Spinoff 2013 Health and Medicine

Innovative Software Tools Measure Behavioral Alertness

Technology Transfer Pulsar Informatics helped shorten the PVT and

developed software for the test that is now used on the International Space Station

The company commercialized the software, which is now used by companies and government agencies to monitor personnel fatigue

NASA Technology Astronauts who work in space for long durations

suffer from cardiovascular deconditioning NASA, Case Western University, and the Cleveland

Clinic developed the Portable Unit for Metabolic Analysis (PUMA), which can measure metabolic rates as efficiently as the bulkier metabolic carts

Glenn Research Center

Orbital Research Inc.Cleveland, Ohio

Benefits The current PUMA technology is even more

lightweight and portable, and improved electronics allow for longer battery life

Other projects include contracts with the Navy and bringing the technology into hospitals to monitor patient oxygen intake to improve recovery time


Miniaturized, Portable Sensors Monitor Metabolic Health

Technology Transfer Orbital Research entered into a Space Act

Agreement and worked with NASA to shrink PUMA’s components even further in order for the US Navy to study problems with pilots and oxygen deficiency

The company then entered into a contract with the US Air Force to develop carbon dioxide sensors, which helped the agency investigate issues with the life support systems onboard F-22 fighter aircraft

NASA Technology Prior to spaceflight, astronauts must be trained in

basic emergency procedures and skills Patient simulators on the market were not well-

suited for the surprisingly heavy impacts incurred by astronauts training in microgravity


CAE HealthcareSarasota, Florida

Benefits CAE Healthcare sells its ruggedized models to

the Army Medics and the Air Force’s Critical Care Air Transport Team, which use the equipment in simulated emergency exercises

Newer models include one used in combat casualty and disaster response scenarios and another that operates wirelessly


Patient Simulators Train Emergency Caregivers

Technology Transfer METI (now CAE Healthcare) worked with Johnson

through Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding to develop more rugged patient simulators

The company implemented the improvements into later models of patient simulators that entered the commercial market

NASA Technology Over the years, NASA has advanced photovoltaic

technology to power components on spacecraft, rovers, and the International Space Station

The Space Agency has transferred this technology for uses on Earth, including water pumping systems, medical equipment, and lighting


SunDanzer Refrigeration Inc.El Paso, Texas

Benefits The units are ideal for use in rural, sunny areas

with little or inconsistent access to electricity

Setup is simple and doesn’t require a technician

The refrigerator can withstand combination cloudy weather and outside temperatures of 109.4 °F for 3½ days


Solar Refrigerators Store Life-Saving Vaccines

Technology Transfer David Bergeron, former head of the Advanced

Refrigerator Technology Team at Johnson, founded SunDanzer Refrigeration in 1999

SunDanzer offers a variety of battery and non-battery solar-powered refrigerators, the latter of which the company used as the basis in developing a vaccine refrigerator that was approved for use by the World Health Organization

NASA Technology Despite exercise on the International Space Station,

astronauts were losing their body’s bone mass Pressure sensors were placed in the astronauts’

shoes to quantify the force transmitted to their feet during exercise

NASA needed a device to capture and transmit data


FlexLife HealthCleveland, Ohio

Benefits Called vMetrics, the device is part of an anti-

coagulation management system for people with chronic cardiovascular disease

It enables medication monitoring at home

Nearly 83 percent of clinical trial participants reported vMetrics made management of their medication easier and/or saved time


Monitors Enable Medication Management in Patients’ Homes

Partnership Glenn awarded Small Business Innovation

Research (SBIR) funding to Cleveland-based ZIN Technologies to develop a device to collect and communicate data about astronauts’ health

After obtaining additional funding from other organizations, ZIN formed a new company called FlexLife Health to commercialize the spinoff technology

NASA Technology In preparing for a manned mission to Mars, NASA

was looking for a reliable, durable handheld device that could quickly deliver health readings

With a single drop of blood, they wanted the device to display white and red blood cell counts and also measure for biomarkers like electrolytes


DNA Medicine Institute Inc.Cambridge, Massachusetts

Benefits The rHEALTH delivers readings in a matter of

minutes, cutting the waiting time drastically when compared to samples sent to labs for analysis

Patients can measure their own insulin, thyroid hormone ,and cholesterol levels from home

Unlike conventional blood test cartridges, the device’s sensor units are reusable


Handheld Diagnostic Device Delivers Quick Medical Readings

Technology Transfer Through Small Business Innovation Research

(SBIR) funding, DNA Medicine Institute developed such a device in the rHEALTH

rHEALTH has the added capability of registering readings for several biomarkers in a single blood sample using nanostrip technology

NASA Technology NASA’s General Aviation Spin Program at Langley

Research Center devised the first-of-their-kind guidelines for designing more spin-resistant aircraft

The program generated knowledge and techniques that now enable safer aircraft designs

Langley Research Center

ICON AircraftLos Angeles, CA

Benefits ICON’s A5 aircraft met the complete set of

criteria specified for Part 23 testing

More than 1,000 orders have been made for the A5 aircraft

Aside from personal use, there is demand from flight schools, flying clubs, resorts, and adventure companies for multiple A5 aircraft

Spinoff 2013 Transportation

Experiments Result in Safer, Spin-Resistant Aircraft

Partnership Thanks to NASA’s contributions, the Federal

Aviation Administration introduced the Part 23 spin-resistance standard in 1991 to assist engineers in evaluating an aircraft’s stall and spin characteristics

Turning to the Part 23 standard, ICON Aircraft contacted people from the Langley team and then designed a light sport aircraft for consumer recreational flying that provides spin resistance

NASA Technology The A-Train Constellation of Earth observing

satellites gather data about the composition of the atmosphere to understand the affects on climate

The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite provides measurements of the altitude of aerosols and clouds


WxAnalyst Ltd.Fairfax, Virginia

Benefits Hawaiian Airlines is now using the software to

help see four-dimensional data in the skies and route its planes more efficiently

The technology helps the airline manage flights carrying over 6 million passengers a year

In the future, WxAzygy may be used to visualize radar and underground data also


Interfaces Visualize Data for Airline Safety, Efficiency

Partnership To construct a transparent user interface to visualize

data like that from CALIPSO, Langley Research Center awarded an SBIR award to WxAnalyst Ltd.

WxAnalyst’s WxAzygy interface was refined so users could see and work with the data over the Earth

WxAnalyst obtained additional funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA to improve the technology

NASA Technology The Aviation Safety Program under the Aeronautics

Research Mission Directorate has many initiatives to enable safer air transport systems

A data-mining team at Ames developed multiple algorithms useful for sorting through flight data and has shared them with the industry

Ames Research Center

Southwest Airlines Co.Dallas, Texas

Benefits The two algorithms—the Multivariate Time

Series search and Virtual Sensors—have been used by the company to track and improve fuel efficiencies for flight paths between cities

Southwest has also leveraged the technology to work with air traffic controllers, developing methods to increase the number of stable approaches by its planes


Data Mining Tools Make Flights Safer, More Efficient

Partnership Southwest first used some of NASA’s tools in 2003

when evaluating a higher-than-usual rate of actual unstable approaches versus reported ones

After years of on-off collaboration, Southwest and NASA signed a Space Act Agreement in 2011 to share NASA’s algorithms and refine them using Southwest’s real-world flight data

NASA Technology NASA examined the natural body posture (NBP), or

the posture the human body naturally assumes in microgravity, to develop more comfortable spacecraft

NASA documented the characteristics in the Man-Systems Integration Standards (MSIS) to design systems that support human health and safety


Nissan Motor CompanyFranklin, Tennessee

Benefits Nissan debuted the seat in the 2013 Altima and

has plans to include it in upcoming Nissan and Infiniti vehicles

The technology will be applied to the driver’s, front passenger’s, and rear seats

According to Nissan’s research, the seats will make long car rides more pleasant


NASA Standards Inform Comfortable Car Seats

Partnership Scientists and engineers at Nissan Motor Company

turned to NASA’s NBP research as a starting point for the development of a new driver’s seat

The company used NASA’s NBP as a benchmark for a comfortable, balanced posture, with the intention of lessening fatigue on a person’s body

Test results showed the seat improved blood flow and reduced physical exhaustion

NASA Technology The Stardust spacecraft required a lightweight heat

shield that could withstand extreme temperatures during Stardust’s reentry in Earth’s atmosphere

The PICA heat shield, made of a ceramic carbon substrate, allowed Stardust to return successfully to Earth in 2006


Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (Space X)Hawthorne, California

Benefits The US can once again transport cargo to and

from the ISS using domestic spacecraft

SpaceX is retrofitting Dragon to transport humans into space

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 50 planned launches of both private and government-run satellites through 2017


Heat Shield Paves the Way for Commercial Space

Technology Transfer SpaceX won a contract to develop a spacecraft to

transport cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS)

Working with Agency engineers, the company used materials and designs from the PICA heat shield, and renamed it the PICA-X for use on its Dragon capsule

NASA Technology To support private sector transport of astronauts to

the International Space Station, NASA funded development of life support systems

Johnson Space Center awarded funding to Paragon to develop the Commercial Crew Transport-Air Revitalization System (CCT-ARS)


Paragon Space Development CorporationTucson, Arizona

Benefits The system removes carbon dioxide and trace

contaminants, circulates the air, and provides temperature control

Battery-operated, it can run for 4 days and needs very little upkeep in an emergency

Mining companies can save $30,000 long-term maintenance costs per chamber

Spinoff 2013 Public Safety

Air Systems Provide Life Support to Miners

Technology Transfer Refuge alternatives, which are metal-encased

chambers used by miners in the event of an emergency, also have air purification systems

Refuge alternative manufacturer Mineshield LLC negotiated a 10-year license with Paragon to install CCT-ARS technology into its chambers

NASA Technology John B. Schutt, a chemist at Goddard, experimented

to create super-durable coatings for spacecraft He found that a potassium silicate and zinc coating

kept corrosion from forming on steel or metal The formula was used at Kennedy Space Center to

protect launch facilities

Goddard Space Flight Center

Adsil CorporationDaytona Beach, FL

Benefits MicroGuard is used at hotels, restaurants,

schools, stores, amusement parks, museums, on outdoor sculptures, in stadiums, and more

The spinoff reduces maintenance costs by 13 percent for HVAC and refrigeration, and increases energy efficiency up to 12 percent

Adsil has created 150 jobs


Coatings Preserve Metal, Stone, Tile, and Concrete

Partnership Schutt retired and used his NASA expertise to

create hybrids of the formulation for Adsil Corporation

Adsil holds patents related to the coatings for anti-graffiti; anti-skid; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration applications; corrosion protection; and concrete or tile sealing

The company now markets MicroGuard coatings

NASA Technology With the Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency (DARPA), Johnson aimed to build a humanoid robot—Robonaut 1—to work alongside its human counterparts in space

Johnson wanted to develop software to deliver automatic intelligence and learning in the robot


Universal RoboticsNashville, Tennessee

Benefits Neocortex can improve efficiency and worker

safety in places like warehousing, mining, handling hazardous waste, and more

One popular use is for placing, stacking, or removing boxes from pallets or trailers

It is currently being installed to robotically stack and package meat for a Fortune 500 company


Robots Spur Software That Lends a Hand

Partnership Dr. Richard Alan Peters, a professor at Vanderbilt,

developed learning algorithms for robots, and under a NASA Cooperative Agreement, showed the algorithms could produce learned knowledge

The work led to patents for Peters, who took the NASA-derived technology to a company called Universal Robotics, where the technology is now available in a product called Neocortex

NASA Technology Stennis researchers develop capabilities for remote

sensing and geographic information systems One particular need the Center had was for a

geobrowser (or software that displays data spatially) that was platform-independent and could be accessed via the Internet

Stennis Space Center

StormCenter Communications Inc.Baltimore, Maryland

Benefits Because the collaboration tools are cloud

based, there is no need to rely on screen-sharing programs or other proprietary software

StormCenter’s tools are used by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Alaska and have been recommended for adoption by international agencies in global volcanic ash coordination


Cloud-Based Data Sharing Connects Emergency Managers

Partnership StormCenter completed Phase I and II Small

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Stennis to develop a 100 percent cloud-based geobrowser to use for real-time data sharing and collaboration

GeoSync allows users to share data over the Internet, and GeoCollaborate allows participants to take turns controlling the collaboration session

NASA Technology Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers were used to detect

wind shears, which can wreak havoc on airplanes and cause crashes

NASA developed a tin oxide-based catalyst to rid the laser of carbon monoxide (CO) byproducts and conserve CO2


Airflow Catalyst Systems Inc.Rochester, New York

Benefits The product neutralizes CO, hydrocarbons,

oxides of nitrogen, and particulate matter

Unlike mechanical filters, which must be changed daily, the converters do not require frequent maintenance

Converters are projected to last for 7,000 hours


Catalytic Converters Maintain Air Quality in Mines

Technology Transfer Airflow Catalyst Systems licensed the NASA

technology and adapted it for use as a catalytic converter for exhaust systems

The company found a niche in providing catalytic converters for underground diesel mining equipment, which produce harmful emissions that are exacerbated by the enclosed environment

NASA Technology Complex systems on board the International Space

Station (ISS) collect and recycle moisture using powerful filtration technology

The filters not only supply ISS occupants with drinkable water; they are likely to play a role in future deep space missions as well


ÖKOGreenbrae, California

Benefits The ÖKO bottle employs two filters and purifies

as the user squeezes water through it

Rated as effective in more than 120 countries, the bottle can instantly create potable water from a wide variety of sources

Among other contaminates, the NASA filter eliminates E. coli and cryptosporidium

Spinoff 2013 Consumer Goods

NASA-Enhanced Water Bottles Filter Water on the Go

Partnership Mohssen Ghiassi, an entrepreneur who develops

products for the travel industry, was looking for an advanced filtration system

Typical filtration systems pass water too slowly to be of use to travelers on the move

Ghiassi began purchasing a spinoff filter based on NASA’s filtration technology to anchor his product

NASA Technology NASA engineer Alan Pope was the first person to

use neurofeedback to influence the outcome of a computer program when working on flight automation

The technology measures brainwaves that correlate with how attentive a person is at any moment


Unique LogicFletcher, North Carolina

Benefits The company’s patented BodyWave technology

allows for brainwave measurements through an armband device, rather than the traditional helmets that are used

Unique Logic employs 38 people, and customers include NASA, the nuclear power industry, US Olympics sports teams, and NASCAR


Brainwave Monitoring Software Improves Distracted Minds

Technology Transfer Teacher Peter Freer was inspired by Pope’s work

with neurofeedback and founded Unique Logic, which helps students learn by teaching them to be in their peak attention states while studying

His spinoff company, Freer Logic, uses brainwave technology to monitor drowsiness, improve workplace and sports performance, and encourage relaxation

NASA Technology Following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident,

NASA developed materials and techniques for the inspection and repair of the shuttle’s thermal protection system, should it be damaged during flight

Dr. Scott Parazynski was designated the Astronaut Office lead for TPS inspection and repair


DreamSaver Enterprises LLCHouston, Texas

Benefits DreamSaver’s Home Protection System is a

footlocker-sized box that can withstand 98 percent of residential fires and 99 percent of water disasters

The company can create custom coverings for the box to match home décor

DreamSaver is on the HTC/Johnson campus


Thermal Materials Protect Priceless, Personal Keepsakes

Partnership Parazynski retired from NASA and started working

with Chris Shiver to incorporate concepts from his NASA work into an enclosure to protect personal items in the event of a fire or flood

Shiver and Parazynski collaborated with former NASA engineer Clark Thompson for DreamSaver Enterprises LLC and borrowed concepts from their space work for a commercial product

NASA Technology To survive in space for extended periods, astronauts

need a dependable source of food, which on deep-space missions means growing their own produce

NASA researched how to keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer by being able to remove ethylene gas, which promotes decay, from the air

Marshall Space Flight Center

Akida HoldingsJacksonville, Florida

Benefits Airocide destroys airborne bacteria, mold, fungi,

mycotoxins, viruses, volatile organic compounds, and odors

The portable home unit can be mounted on a floor stand or hung on a wall

The only upkeep required is replacing the reaction chamber once a year


Home Air Purifiers Eradicate Harmful Pathogens

Technology Transfer NASA funded a university to develop an ethylene

scrubber that converts the gas into water and carbon dioxide, which are beneficial for plants

KES Science and Technology licensed the technology and worked with Akida Holdings to deliver Airocide, which purges the air of pathogens

NASA Technology Students at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT) dreamed of professional apparel designs incorporating elements from active wear

Working on spacesuit designs for human travel to Mars, a student came upon phase change materials (PCMs), a technology developed with NASA


Ministry of Supply Boston, Massachusetts

Benefits Available in white and oxford blue, the Apollo

shirt is a machine-wash only garment that will not wrinkle or absorb stains from perspiration

The Apollo and other MOS products are currently available on the MOS website

Since its launch, MOS has sold 12,500 tops and bottoms combined


Thermal Materials Drive Professional Apparel Line

Partnership The MIT students joined forces to create a company

called Ministry of Supply (MOS) MOS set about to develop a professional dress shirt

for men that felt and acted like active apparel MOS created a unique synthetic fabric that

incorporated NASA-derived PCMs, could wick away moisture, and control odors and bacterial growth

NASA Technology Langley needed a thin, lightweight, reflective

material to use on a satellite to “echo” voice, radio, and television signals from Earth back to the ground

The Agency collaborated with private industry to create a new technique for coating materials with an extremely fine mist of vaporized metal particles


RadiaSourceOgden, Utah

Benefits The company produces insulation, garage

doors, shipping materials, and water heater wraps

A case study demonstrated a home with RadiaSource saved 18–20 percent on energy in the winter and 46 percent in the summer

Opportunities exist in warehouses, gymnasiums, large buildings, and agricultural settings


Radiant Barriers Save Energy in Buildings

Partnership Known as “radiant barrier technology,” it was made

available in the public domain, and products across the world started incorporating the technology

Entrepreneur Ryan Garrett learned about a new version manufactured by vapor phase encapsulation, a patented process, and founded RadiaSource to share the benefits of the innovation through a unique product offering

NASA Technology An experiment at Dryden to collect flight data led to

the development of the Ring Buffered Network Bus (RBNB), software to stream data in real-time

RBNB found use at NASA as “middleware,” or software that can receive any kind of input and use it to create any kind of output

Dryden Flight Research Center

Open Source DataTurbine InitiativeSan Diego, California

Benefits The Open Source DataTurbine Initiative was

founded in 2007, making RBNB available to anyone for free

DataTurbine allows researchers to stream live data and lets them pause or rewind feeds

The software has been deployed with sensors in diverse settings around the globe

Spinoff 2013 Energy and Environment

Open Source Initiative Powers Real-Time Data Streams

Partnership Matthew Miller of Creare Inc. developed RBNB

under a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract

Following interest from academic researchers, scientists, and government organizations, Miller worked with Creare to release the software under an open source license

NASA Technology The Space Shuttle Main Engine was built under

contract to NASA in the 1970s by Rocketdyne, now part of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR)

PWR’s NASA work allowed it to glean expertise in handling high heat flux, extreme temperatures, and cyclic temperature gradients over long periods


SolarReserveSanta Monica, California

Benefits The technology can provide electricity from the

Sun on-demand, even after dark or when cloudy

The company is constructing a plant in Nevada to power 75,000 homes during peak electricity periods, creating more than 4,300 jobs

SolarReserve has numerous upcoming installation projects


Shuttle Engine Designs Revolutionize Solar Power

Partnership With funding from the Department of Energy (DOE)

and industry, PWR leveraged its NASA experience to develop large demonstrations of solar power tower plant technology: Solar One and Solar Two

A decade later, PWR granted an exclusive license of its NASA spinoff solar technology to SolarReserve, which now develops concentrating solar power that is 100 percent renewable with no harmful emissions

NASA Technology Procedures, or detailed lists of step-by-step

instructions, guide every aspect of NASA operations, especially in human spaceflight

Traditionally, procedures have been printed on paper, but recently NASA has shifted to digital formats for current and future planned missions


TRACLabs Inc.Webster, Texas

Benefits TRACLab’s software is the Procedure Integrated

Development Environment (PRIDE), a suite of tools that eliminate much of the tedium in procedure authoring and organization

PRIDE is now used within the oil and gas industry to increase safety in oil rig operations and to provide better information for auditing purposes


Procedure-Authoring Tool Improves Safety on Oil Rigs

Partnership TRACLabs developed tools for authoring and

managing procedures under multiple Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts

The resulting software tools have been used to author procedures for the International Space Station, project Morpheus (a prototype lander), and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle

NASA Technology The Moderate Resolution Imaging

Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is an instrument onboard two Earth-observing satellites

Each MODIS satellite collects data on the Earth’s surface to improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes

Stennis Space Center Eastern Forest Environmental Threat

Assessment Center Asheville, North Carolina

Benefits The imagery is available through a data viewer

called the Forest Change Assessment Viewer and provides a broader-scale understanding of vegetation disturbances

ForWarn is being used by federal and state forest and natural resource managers and will likely result in time and cost savings for the organizations


Satellite Data Aid Monitoring of Nation’s Forests

Partnership The Healthy Forests Restoration Act called for the

development of a National Early Warning System to detect potential threats to the United States’ forests

The USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center partnered with Stennis and other government organizations to create ForWarn, an early warning system using MODIS data to identify regional disturbances

NASA Technology Planning for an extended stay on Mars, NASA

concentrated on creating an ecological life support system to sustain crewmembers on the Red Planet

Ames started looking at how to make power on Mars and turned to wind and solar power technologies


Northern Power Systems (NPS)Barre, Vermont

Benefits One Northern Power 100 turbine produces

enough energy for 25–30 homes

The technology is used at university campuses, residences, farms, businesses, and more—across 25 states and 4 countries

More than 200 turbines in operation reduce carbon emissions by 50,000 tons annually


Mars Technologies Spawn Durable Wind Turbines

Partnership Ames awarded an SBIR award to Northern Power

Systems to construct a wind turbine at the South Pole, a place with harsh conditions like Mars

The company then began developing a larger turbine that could function in the same conditions

By 2000, the wind turbine technology had won an R&D 100 Award

NASA Technology A team at JPL produced an interactive video-game

style program to show the orbit insertion of Cassini, the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, in real-time

The team received requests to develop similar programs encompassing all of the spacecraft in orbit around Earth and in the Solar System

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The ElumenatiMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Benefits Users can explore data from NASA missions at

their own speed and time inside Elumenati theaters and use interactive controls to navigate to planets, asteroids, or satellites

The markets for the software include schools, museums, science centers, and other institutions providing Earth and space science education


Programs Visualize Earth and Space for Interactive Education

Partnership The team worked with The Elumenati, a company

that provides domes, projection systems, and software to create immersive visual environments

The partners rewrote the NASA programs using Elumenati’s Omnity plugin for Unity3D, in order to show the content on domes and spheres

Elumenati licensed the programs from NASA and now provides the spinoff product to its customers

NASA Technology NASA worked with other organizations to develop

the Fast Affordable Science and Technology Satellite

To cut costs, engineers designed their own telemetry unit, a critical tool used to relay information between a satellite and its corresponding ground station


Orbital Telemetry Inc.Huntsville, Alabama

Benefits Telemetry units can cost upwards of a million

dollars each; Orbital Telemetry offers to provide them for a fraction of the price

Due to a Space Act Agreement between NASA and the company, Marshall engineers test the model to make sure it meets the customer’s specifications and is ready for launch into space

Spinoff 2013 Information Technology

Processor Units Reduce Satellite Construction Costs

Technology Transfer A former NASA engineer realized the potential of

commercializing a more affordable telemetry unit for use by the private sector.

In 2012, after obtaining an exclusive licensing agreement with NASA, Orbital Telemetry was founded

NASA Technology Scientists at the Space Agency use supercomputers

to calculate large algorithms based on linear algebra that are used in setting up climate models

Scientists using regular computers, which lack the processing power of supercomputers, often must wait far longer for algorithms to be calculated


EM Photonics Inc.Newark, Delaware

Benefits EM Photonics offers CULA software for both

dense and sparse computations

CULA’s simplified interface makes it far simpler for scientists to set up computations

In some cases, processing times can be reduced by more than 100-fold


Software Accelerates Computing Time for Complex Math

Technology Transfer Through Small Business Innovation Research

(SBIR) funding, EM Photonics utilized graphics processing unit (GPU) technology, originally used to run video game graphics, and programmed it to perform scientific computing

The company commercialized the technology as CULA tools, which can compute the industry-standard LAPACK library of linear algebra equations

NASA Technology Preparing for a satellite launch includes ensuring

that the radio communications systems in the rocket and the satellite do not interfere with each other

Computer simulations can predict interference, which allows engineers to remedy the issue, but setting up the model can be time-consuming

Kennedy Space Center

Delcross Technologies LLC Champaign, Illinois

Benefits The expanded database can shave days off of

setting up the simulation

Since the new feature was introduced, business has increased with the US military, telecommunications companies, and others who depend on clear radio transmission signals


Simulation Tools Prevent Signal Interference on Spacecraft

Technology Transfer Through SBIR funding, Delcross improved its

interference simulation software by expanding the library of various transmitter and receiver specifications that can be dragged and dropped into models being set up

The company then included the added feature through an update to its software product

NASA Technology The Space Agency develops many climate models

that simulate how the Earth’s atmosphere is affected by factors such as greenhouse gases and aerosols

Models are shared with graduate students and other researchers by sharing programming codes, which can be finicky when deployed on other computers


Parabon Computation Inc.Reston, Virginia

Benefits In Frontier CODE, a central server carries out all

computations, thereby eliminating problems caused by running code on various computer hardware systems

When a computer runs on an incompatible operating system, CODE can still use a virtual machine to do the data processing


Software Simplifies the Sharing of Numerical Models

Technology Transfer Parabon Computation developed software that

allows a researcher to run models through any standard web browser

The company commercialized the NASA-funded technology through its Frontier Collaborative Online Development Environment (Frontier CODE), which includes technologies such as cloud-computing and online collaboration tools

NASA Technology Chris Grasso created Virtual Machine Language

(VML) as the sequencing language for the Spitzer Space Telescope

VML let the spacecraft respond to its environment and dispatch commands to its instruments at the right time, under the right conditions


Blue Sun EnterprisesBoulder, Colorado

Benefits Blue Sun’s NASA-derived VML 3.0 is

commercially available for spacecraft and provides operational cost reductions for customers

On Earth, potential applications include unmanned aerial vehicles, remote sensing devices, and autonomous vehicles like submarines, weather balloons, and telescopes


Virtual Machine Language Controls Remote Devices

Partnership Grasso cofounded Blue Sun Enterprises to provide

spacecraft software-engineering services Kennedy Space Center worked with Blue Sun to

enhance VML for use with the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatiles Extraction mission

VML provided coordination and the capability for sequencing onboard the spacecraft

NASA Technology Experiments performed on the International Space

Station may be skewed by the effects of gravitational forces

Accelerometers are used to account for such effects in experimental outcomes, but the Space Agency was looking for a smaller, more cost-effective model


Evigia SystemsAnn Arbor, Michigan

Benefits Accelerometers are used in sensors that record

equipment diagnostic data, such as vibration, humidity, temperature, and mechanical shock

The US Air Force and the Department of Defense have funded the company to advance the technology further

Product sales have resulted in five new hires


Micro-Accelerometers Monitor Equipment Health

Technology Transfer NASA awarded Small Business Innovation

Research (SBIR) funding to Evigia to develop a low-cost micro-accelerometer

Evigia’s work with the accelerometer has helped the company with its line of prognostic sensors, which help monitor the condition of industrial equipment

NASA Technology To save energy and reduce pollution, Glenn

Research Center examined fuel cells for producing electricity onboard commercial aircraft

Glenn looked at fuel reforming technology, which uses fuel, air, steam, and a catalyst (reactor), to produce hydrogen for the fuel cell to make electricity


Catacel CorporationGarrettsville, Ohio

Benefits Catacel installed the first commercial version in

a hydrogen production plant in Turkey

A food oils processing plant in Mexico saw an immediate 13.5 percent natural gas cost reduction after installing the technology

On average, the technology results in energy savings of about 20 percent

Spinoff 2013 Industrial Productivity

Reactors Save Energy, Costs for Hydrogen Production

Partnership Glenn partnered with Catacel under the Glenn

Alliance Technology Exchange program and then through a Space Act Agreement

Catacel developed a novel catalytic combustor module called a stackable structural reactor (SSR)

The partners tested and modified an SSR for industrial hydrogen production, which demonstrated cost savings up to 35 percent

NASA Technology The Curiosity rover is exploring the surface of Mars

in part to help figure out whether the Red Planet could ever have supported living organisms

The Space Agency needed to outfit the rover with the latest in radiation-hardened cameras in order to capture vibrant images of the planet’s terrain

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Malin Space Science Systems Inc.San Diego, California

Benefits The firm has now developed an off-the-shelf

imaging system called ECAM that can be installed on satellites to monitor their functionality in space

Monitoring a satellite can help in troubleshooting problems that may arise during activities such as antenna and solar array deployment


Cameras Monitor Spacecraft Integrity to Prevent Failures

Technology Transfer Malin Space Science Systems, which had

developed cameras for several Mars satellites, entered into a contract with NASA to supply Curiosity with 4 of its 17 cameras

Malin’s cameras are responsible for landing the rover, taking photos of varying focal lengths, and (through a zoom feature) capturing images of features thinner than the diameter of a human hair

NASA Technology After developing a high-performance insulation

material, Kennedy Space Center needed a test instrument to accurately measure the material’s thermal performance

The team developed the Cryostat 1, which led to a simplified version, the Cryostat 2


QinetiQ North America (QinetiQ NA)McLean, Virginia

Benefits The company will market the technology for

piping and storage tank insulation, appliances, consumer goods, and more

A likely application is to test insulation used in the food refrigeration industry

The device may also evaluate the materials to insulate pharmaceuticals being shipped


Testing Devices Garner Data on Insulation Performance

Partnership A private aerospace company expressed interest in

having its own cryostat test capability QinetiQ NA saw a business opportunity and applied

for a license to make and sell one of several versions of the NASA Cryostat

Commercialization of the technology will allow on-site tests at production or lab facilities making and testing new materials

NASA Technology Equipment failures at the E-Complex, home to three

propulsion test stands at Stennis Space Center, are expensive

To avert equipment failures and save thousands of dollars, Stennis considered smart sensors, which could report problems on the test stands

Stennis Space Center

Lion PrecisionSt. Paul, Minnesota

Benefits The same sensor is commercially available, and

Lion Precision is incorporating the diagnostic capabilities into its next generation of sensors

The company has used its NASA experience to create a battery-powered wireless device

Future applications include the manufacturing or machining of metal parts


Smart Sensors Gather Information for Machine Diagnostics

Partnership Lion Precision partnered with Stennis through a

Cooperative Agreement to develop a smart sensor As part of the agreement, the measurements were

transmitted using MTConnect, a standard to integrate devices through a common interface

Lion Precision produced sensors for the test stand and the partnership was the first implementation of the sensor protocols of MTConnect

NASA Technology Scientists in the 1990s were testing cow digestive

bacteria’s ability to break down plant matter in space and were cultivating it in bioreactors

O2 sensors that monitored the units were prone to false reads because the viscous biological material tended to block the sensor’s intake


Polestar Technologies Inc.Needham Heights, Massachusetts

Benefits A typical sensor can record about 4 million

readings before needing to be replaced

The screw-on screw-off method of replacing sensor tips makes for easy maintenance

The same computer instrument used for the O2 sensor can also be used for the company’s pH and carbon dioxide sensors


Oxygen Sensors Monitor Bioreactors and Ensure Health and Safety

Technology Transfer Polestar Technologies received Small Business

Innovation Research (SBIR) funding to develop O2 sensors that use fluorescent quenching, which is not prone to false reads, to measure oxygen levels

The company commercialized the NASA-funded technology, bringing to market its line of O2 sensors used by medical research universities and the private sector alike for a variety of purposes

NASA Technology As a part of its goal to enable the human exploration

of the cosmos, NASA’s Human Systems Integration Division at Ames focuses on how human beings interact with systems

A senior researcher on the team created an algorithm that optimizes robotic vision technology


Radiant Zemax LLCRedmond, Washington

Benefits TrueMURA provides an objective classification

of screen defects using the industry-standard just noticeable difference (JND) scale

The company’s tools are deployed on hundreds of production lines and have inspected millions of TVs, phones, laptops, and tablets


Vision Algorithms Catch Defects in Screen Displays

Partnership The Standard Spatial Observer (SSO) algorithm is a

simplified model of human vision that focuses on how contrast is perceived by the human eye

Radiant Zemax, a company that provides display-testing systems, wanted its imaging colorimeter to “see” screen defects as a person would

The company licensed the SSO from NASA and integrated it into their software

NASA Technology The Balloon Exoplanet Nulling Interferometer

mission will use a visible nulling coronagraph (VNC) to detect, image, and characterize exoplanets

Starlight can seep through the VNC and lower the contrast in an image so Goddard turned to deformable mirrors (DMs) to correct for the light


Iris AO, Inc. Berkeley, California

Benefits The technology is being used in ophthalmic

instruments to improve images of the eye

In the future, it could be incorporated into biological microscopes to get a better view of tissues

The technology also has promise in shaping laser beams more precisely for manufacturing


Deformable Mirrors Capture Exoplanet Data, Reflect Lasers

Partnership Goddard started working with Iris AO to improve the

company’s microelectromechanical (MEMS) DMs for imaging and characterizing exoplanets

Iris AO and Goddard tested the new DMs, and they had impressive results

Outside of NASA, the technology is being evaluated and used in research and industrial applications