Spinoff: Public Safety

Simulation Tools Model Icing for Aircraft Design

NASA Technology

Here’s a simple science experiment to try: Place an unopened bottle of distilled water in your freezer. After 2–3 hours, if the water is pure enough, you will...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Information Systems Coordinate Emergency Management

NASA Technology

The rescue crews have been searching for the woman for nearly a week. Hurricane Katrina devastated Hancock County, the southernmost point in Mississippi, and...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Imaging Systems Provide Maps for U.S. Soldiers

NASA Technology

Spanning nearly four decades, the remarkable Landsat program has continuously provided data about the Earth’s surface, including detailed maps of vegetation, land...

Spinoff: Public Safety

High-Pressure Systems Suppress Fires in Seconds

NASA Technology

Much deserved attention is given to the feats of innovation that allow humans to live in space and robotic explorers to beam never-before- seen images back to...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Alloy-Enhanced Fans Maintain Fresh Air in Tunnels

NASA Technology

The Partnership for Next Generation Vehicles (PNGV) is not a NASA initiative to develop powerful new rockets and spacecraft, even though it may sound like one....

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Control Algorithms Charge Batteries Faster

NASA Technology

On March 29, 2011, NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft beamed a milestone image to Earth: the first photo of...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Software Programs Derive Measurements from Photographs

NASA Technology

Even under the most unfortunate circumstances, NASA continues on a path of innovation. After the Space Shuttle Columbia reentered the atmosphere on February...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Retrofits Convert Gas Vehicles into Hybrids

NASA Technology

Successful space missions can rarely be attributed to a single thing. Rather, they are the result of a system of systems: integrated elements functioning effectively in...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

NASA Missions Inspire Online Video Games

NASA Technology

Fast forward to 2035. Imagine being part of a community of astronauts living and working on the Moon. Suddenly, in the middle of just another day in space, a meteorite...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Monitors Track Vital Signs for Fitness and Safety

NASA Technology

Have you ever felt nauseous reading a book in the back seat of a car? Or woken from a deep sleep feeling disoriented, unsure which way is up? Momentary mixups...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Thermal Components Boost Performance of HVAC Systems

NASA Technology

As the International Space Station (ISS) travels 17,500 miles per hour, normal is having a constant sensation of free-falling. Normal is no rain, but an...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

World Wind Tools Reveal Environmental Change

NASA Technology

“Who has more satellite data than NASA?” asks Patrick Hogan.

The question is a rhetorical one. After dozens of Earth-observing satellite launches and...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Analyzers Measure Greenhouse Gasses, Airborne Pollutants

NASA Technology

In complete darkness, a NASA observatory waits. When an eruption of boiling water billows from a nearby crack in the ground, the...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Remediation Technologies Eliminate Contaminants

NASA Technology

All research and development has a story behind it, says Jacqueline Quinn, environmental engineer at Kennedy Space Center. For Quinn, one such...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Receivers Gather Data for Climate, Weather Prediction

NASA Technology

Signals from global positioning system (GPS) satellites are now being used for more than just location and navigation information. By...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Coating Processes Boost Performance of Solar Cells

NASA Technology

NASA currently has spacecraft orbiting Mercury (MESSENGER), imaging the asteroid Vesta (Dawn), roaming the red plains of Mars (the Opportunity...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Analyzers Provide Water Security in Space and on Earth

NASA Technology

Resourcefulness is a key quality for living in space, and on the International Space Station (ISS), that means making the most of water...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Catalyst Substrates Remove Contaminants, Produce Fuel

NASA Technology

“A spacecraft is the ultimate tight building. We don’t want any leaks, and there is very little fresh air coming in,” says Jay Perry, an aerospace...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Rocket Engine Innovations Advance Clean Energy

NASA Technology

During launch countdown, at approximately T-7 seconds, the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) roar to life. When the controllers indicate normal operation, the solid...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Technologies Render Views of Earth for Virtual Navigation

NASA Technology

On a December night in 1995, 159 passengers and crewmembers died when American Airlines Flight 965 flew into the side of a mountain while...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Content Platforms Meet Data Storage, Retrieval Needs

NASA Technology

Earth is under a constant barrage of information from space. Whether from satellites orbiting our planet, spacecraft circling Mars, or probes...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Tools Ensure Reliability of Critical Software

NASA Technology

In November 2006, after attempting to make a routine maneuver, NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) reported unexpected errors. The onboard software...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Electronic Handbooks Simplify Process Management

NASA Technology

Getting a multitude of people to work together to manage processes across many organizations —for example, flight projects, research,...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Software Innovations Speed Scientific Computing

NASA Technology

What causes the Sun to change? And what are the impacts on our planet and our daily lives?

These are some of the top questions that the...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Controller Chips Preserve Microprocessor Function

NASA Technology

Above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Brazil, there is a dip in the Earth’s surrounding magnetic field called the South Atlantic Anomaly....

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Custom Machines Advance Composite Manufacturing

NASA Technology

Here is a brief list of materials that NASA will not be using to construct spacecraft: wood, adobe, fiberglass, bone. While it might be obvious why...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Polyimide Foams Offer Superior Insulation

NASA Technology

At Langley Research Center, Erik Weiser and his colleagues in the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch were working with a new substance for...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Nanotube Production Devices Expand Research Capabilities

NASA Technology

In order for the Hubble Space Telescope to take incredible, never-seen-before shots of celestial bodies and then send them back to Earth,...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Beam Steering Devices Reduce Payload Weight

NASA Technology

Scientists have long been able to shift the direction of a laser beam, steering it toward a target, but often the strength and focus of the light is...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Models Support Energy-Saving Microwave Technologies

NASA Technology

During the Apollo Program, astronauts on the Moon encountered a small menace that created big problems: lunar dust. Similar to how tiny bits of...