NASA Spinoff
Public Safety
Spinoff: Public Safety
Smart Sensors Assess Structural Health
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
The materials used to make airplanes and space shuttles do not last forever. That is why NASA frequently inspects launch vehicles, fuel tanks, crew...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Hand-Held Devices Detect Explosives and Chemical Agents
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Smaller, with enhanced capabilities. Less expensive, while providing improved performance. Energy efficient, without sacrificing...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Terahertz Tools Advance Imaging for Security, Industry
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
On January 16, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia launched on mission STS-107. At T plus 82 seconds, with the orbiter rocketing upwards...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Sensors Provide Early Warning of Biological Threats
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are between 4 and 11 million cases of acute gastrointestinal...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Robots Save Soldiers’ Lives Overseas
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
NASA intends to return people to the Moon, but this time to stay. Future plans include living quarters, scientific laboratories, a permanent lunar...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Apollo-Era Life Rafts Save Hundreds of Sailors
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
The space shuttle is unique among spacecraft in that it glides back to Earth and lands like an airplane, usually touching ground near where...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Circuits Enhance Scientific Instruments and Safety Devices
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Since its founding in 1958, NASA has pioneered the use of different frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum—including...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Tough Textiles Protect Payloads and Public Safety Officers
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Special textiles have been mission-critical components for successful space missions since the early years of NASA’s first...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Advanced X-Ray Sources Ensure Safe Environments
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Successfully sustaining life in space requires closely monitoring the environment to ensure the health of the crew....
Spinoff: Public Safety
Polymer Fabric Protects Firefighters, Military, and Civilians
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Insulating and protecting astronauts from temperature extremes, from the 3 K (-455 °F) of deep space to the...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Fiber Optic Sensing Monitors Strain and Reduces Costs
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
In applications where stress on a structure may vary widely and have an unknown impact on integrity, a common...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Space Suit Technologies Protect Deep-Sea Divers
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Working on NASA missions allows engineers and scientists to hone their skills. Creating devices for the high-stress rigors...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Plants Clean Air and Water for Indoor Environments
Although one of NASA's goals is to send people to the far reaches of our universe, it is still well known that people need Earth. We understand that humankind's existence relies on its...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Infrared Imaging Sharpens View in Critical Situations
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
The Microgravity Combustion Science group at NASA's Glenn Research Center studies how fire and combustible liquids and gasses behave...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Chemical-Sensing Cables Detect Potential Threats
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
As fleets of aircraft age, corrosion of metal parts becomes a very real economic and safety concern. Corrosive agents like moisture, salt,...
Spinoff: Public Safety
A Brighter Choice for Safety
Emergency exit signs can be lifesavers, but only if they remain visible when people need them. All too often, power losses or poor visibility can render the signs ineffective. Luna Technologies...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Images Revealing More Than a Thousand Words
A unique sensor developed by ProVision Technologies, a NASA Commercial Space Center housed by the Institute for Technology Development, produces hyperspectral images with cutting-edge...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Development Of A Digital Image Measurement System
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
An unexpected tragedy took place on April 28, 1988, when the roof of an Aloha Airlines 737 aircraft ripped open at 24,000 feet, killing a...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Forecasting Weather With A Wave Of The Hand
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Cybernet Systems Corporation, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, originally developed its gesture recognition technology for the U.S. Department of...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Sizing Up The Situation
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Hailstorm damage to the Space Shuttle's External Tank inspired a NASA innovation with extensive photography applications. In order to measure the defects caused by...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Leaving A Print On Safety
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Pattern-recognition technologies developed by NASA to identify spacecraft and other objects in space have helped in the development of new, biometrics-based...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Superior Sensor Making Sense In Military, Medicine
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
A fiber-optic voltage sensor developed a decade ago for NASA's aircraft and space power systems has been the building block for a string...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Spreading The Word On Safety
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Beginning with the Apollo Program in the early 1960s, the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) has supported every U.S. human exploration space flight program...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Fighting Corrosion
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Reinforced concrete structures such as bridges, parking decks, and balconies are designed to have a service life of over 50 years. All too often, however, many...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Approaching Suspicious Substances Safely
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
A mineral identification tool that was developed for NASA's Mars Rover Technology Development program is now serving as a powerful tool for U.S....
Spinoff: Public Safety
Understanding Fire Through Improved Technology
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
By studying fire through the science of combustion physics, scientists and researchers from NASA, academia, and private industry find new...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Secure Networks for First Responders and Special Forces
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
When NASA needed help better securing its communications with orbiting satellites, the Agency called on Western DataCom Co., Inc.,...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Technology That's Ready and Able to Inspect Those Cables
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Attempting to locate a malfunctioning wire in a complex bundle of wires or in a cable that is concealed behind a wall is as...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Lightning Often Strikes Twice
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Contrary to popular misconception, lightning often strikes the same place twice. Certain conditions are just ripe for a bolt of electricity to come zapping...
Spinoff: Public Safety
Keeping the Air Clean and Safe—An Anthrax Smoke Detector
Originating Technology/NASA Contribution
Scientists at work in the Planetary Protection division at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) sterilize everything before...