NASA 2006 Spinoff
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2006 f spinof Spinoff 2006 Innovative Partnerships Program Developed by Publications and Graphics Department NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) Early in the next decade, the new Crew Exploration Vehicle will begin to ferry crew and supplies to the International Space Station. Cutting-edge technology like this National Aeronautics and leads the way for development of new Space Administration spinoff products that benefit life on Earth. Table of Contents 3 Foreword Environmental and Agricultural Resources 4 Introduction PRP: The Proven Solution for Cleaning Up Oil Spills .............................62 5 Partnership Benefits Progressive Plant Growing Has Business Blooming ..................................64 FLIPPER: Validation for Remote Ocean Imaging ....................................68 Health and Medicine Paper-Thin Plastic Film Soaks Up Sun to Create Solar Energy ................70 Ingestible Thermometer Pill Aids Athletes in Beating the Heat ................6 Saving Space and Time: The Tractor That Einstein Built.........................74 Space-Proven Medical Monitor: The Total Patient-Care Package ............10 Computer Technology From Planetary Imaging to Enzyme Screening .........................................12 A Predictive Approach to Eliminating Errors in Software Code ................76 Transportation Scheduling Software for Complex Scenarios .............................................78 Damage-Tolerant Fan Casings for Jet Engines .........................................14 Difficult Decisions Made Easier ...............................................................80 Steering Aircraft Clear of Choppy Air ......................................................16 The Echoes of Earth Science ....................................................................82 Advanced Air Data Systems for Commercial Aircraft ...............................18 GPS Eye-in-the-Sky Software Takes Closer Look Below ..........................84 NASA Helps Design the ‘Cockpit of the Future’ ......................................20 A History of High-Performance Computing ............................................86 Public Safety Industrial Productivity and Manufacturing Technology Water Vapor Sensors Go Sky-High to Assure Aircraft Safety ....................22 Cryogenic Cooling for Myriad Applications—A STAR Is Born!...............88 Clean Water for Remote Locations ..........................................................26 Temperature Sensing for Oil, Gas, and Structural Analysis ......................90 Fire-Resistant Reinforcement Makes Steel Structures Sturdier ..................28 Robust, Thin Optical Films for Extreme Environments ...........................94 Feeling Well Rested and Wide Awake When it Counts ............................30 The Cutting Edge of High-Temperature Composites ..............................95 Consumer, Home, and Recreation Nano Goes Magnetic to Attract Big Business ........................................ 96 Laser Mapping for Visual Inspection and Measurement ........................ 98 X-ray Device Makes Scrubbing Rugs Clean a Spotless Effort ....................34 Electrical Conductivity in Textiles .........................................................100 A Match Made in Space ...........................................................................38 Spatial Phase Imaging ............................................................................102 Affordable Space Tourism: SpaceStationSim ............................................40 Miniature Wireless Sensors Size Up to Big Applications .........................104 Preventing Ice Before it Forms .................................................................42 Microspheres in Plasma Display Panels ....................................................44 106 Research and Development at NASA Look Sharp While Seeing Sharp ...............................................................46 121 Education News at NASA Raised Relief Mars Globe Brings the Red Planet Closer ...........................48 Modern Exploration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition ..........................52 128 Partnership Successes Reflecting on Space Benefits: A Shining Example .....................................56 139 Innovative Partnerships Program Network Table of Contents Spinoff 2006 Foreword ASA is making significant progress in verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and implementing our Nation’s space exploration related technologies.” Below are a few of the beneficial, Nstrategy, which calls for American leadership in NASA-derived technologies that are featured in Spinoff exploring other worlds and in the inevitable expansion of 2006 and utilized in the commercial and public sectors: human civilization into the cosmos. • A Global Positioning System-controlled steering device This past year, NASA engineers developed the that automatically steers farm equipment to maximize Exploration Systems Architecture for the spacecraft and productivity. The device, which prevents the skipping launch vehicles that will enable the renewed human explo- and overlapping of rows when planting or watering ration of the Moon, as early as 2018. On August 31, 2006, fields, was inspired by a NASA experiment that tested we announced the selection of Lockheed Martin Corp. as two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einstein’s the prime contractor that will build a key element of the theory of general relativity. architecture, our new Crew Exploration Vehicle Orion. Throughout the year, NASA engaged with potential inter- • Microencapsulating technology with roots in NASA national, academic, and commercial partners to develop research that is helping to clean up contaminants in a strategy for scientific, commercial, and exploration bodies of water and other ecologically fragile areas in activities on the lunar surface, as this next great era of an environmentally safe manner. space exploration unfolds. • Wireless patient-monitoring systems used in hospitals The past year was also marked by the resumption of across the country today that were derived from space shuttle missions, continued productive activity concepts behind the medical telemetry devices used to Michael D. Griffin onboard the International Space Station, the launching of monitor astronauts’ health. Administrator the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the CloudSat and National Aeronautics and Space Administration CALIPSO Earth-monitoring satellites, the Spitzer Infrared As impressive as these technologies are, I am confident Space Telescope’s imaging of a remarkable nest of red that NASA’s ongoing efforts to expand our exploration supergiant stars—14 supernovas in the making—and the horizons will significantly increase our Nation’s return exciting findings of the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens on investment in the future. I thank a supportive American probe in the vicinity of Saturn and its fascinating moons, public, and all those who are dedicated to the noble Titan and Enceladus. work of exploring the space frontier, for helping to achieve When NASA engages in activities such as these, we this progress. make discoveries of fundamental scientific importance and we develop new technologies that help improve people’s lives. Our investment in exploration is an investment in the highest of high-tech sectors and will help maintain America’s position as the preeminent technical nation on Earth. Space exploration is a lens that brings a focus to the development of key technologies in a way that simply would not occur without the “demand pull” that arises when trying to accomplish the near-impossible. To this point, Spinoff 2006 highlights NASA’s work, consistent with our Agency’s charter, to “research, develop, Foreword Spinoff 2006 Introduction pinoff is one of the products of NASA’s Innovative found synergy with high-performance commercial markets Partnerships Program. We are proud to highlight and with companies serving other Federal agencies. Benefit Sthe advances that come out of the Agency’s pio- to both sides is achieved through joint development of neering work in space exploration, scientific discovery, technology, and through licensing. and aeronautics research. It is a primary function of this The Partnership Benefits section in Spinoff highlights publication to share such knowledge and capabilities some results of NASA’s technology licensing and with private and public sectors. partnering, and the added value derived for the public More broadly speaking, the charter of the Innovative at large. A preview of this year’s technology-to-product Partnerships Program is to produce leveraged technology benefits include: through investments and partnerships with industry, • NASA satellite imagery which helps a new generation academia, and others. We accomplish this through of researchers explore the trail blazed across the longstanding avenues such as technology transfer and country by Lewis and Clark through a unique online licensing, and through new forms of partnerships with the geospatial network. external technology community. As an example, this year we are adding a new partnership—Red Planet Capital— • A special, laser-based sensor technology NASA which will invest in promising new technologies through developed to measure atmospheric planetary gases that now improves real-time weather forecasting and financial equity instruments. Merle McKenzie helps aircraft avoid dangerous weather conditions here NASA requires this technology innovation by