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...

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

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

Inflatable Antennas Support Emergency Communication

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Space exploration requires reliable and efficient communication technology. One device currently under development is the inflatable...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Technologies Advance UAVs for Science, Military

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Greek mythology tells of the inventor Daedalus using wings of his own fashioning to escape from imprisonment on the island of Crete. In...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Rocket-Powered Parachutes Rescue Entire Planes

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

When Boris Popov was 8 years old, he took one of his mother’s sheets and some thread, made a parachute, climbed a tree, and jumped. The...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Energy-Efficient Systems Eliminate Icing Danger for UAVs

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

One of the more remarkable developments in aviation in recent years has been the increasing deployment of unmanned aerial...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Do-It-Yourself Additives Recharge Auto Air Conditioning

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Even though it drops to -279 °F at night and dips to -400 °F inside its deepest craters, the Moon can reach a scorching 260 °F...

Spinoff: Public Safety

Radiometers Optimize Local Weather Prediction

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

One of the greatest dangers to aircraft—playing a role in numerous destructive and fatal accidents around the world—comes in the form of...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Reflective Coatings Protect People and Animals

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

In the course of time, circumstance, and coincidence, life sometimes completes some ironic and unlikely circles. During NASA’s early space...

Spinoff: Transportation

Coatings Extend Life of Engines and Infrastructure

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Every time a jet engine is started, it goes through a thermal cycle of extreme temperatures, reaching as high as 2,700 °F within the...

Spinoff: Transportation

Sensor Systems Collect Critical Aerodynamics Data

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

The next time you blow out a candle, watch how the smoke behaves. You will see that it rises first in an even stream. At a certain point,...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Bacteria Provide Cleanup of Oil Spills, Wastewater

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Given the size of our planet and its wealth of resources, it is easy to forget that those resources are finite. As Earth’s human...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Nanomaterials Transform Hairstyling Tools

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Dr. Dennis Morrison, a former scientist at Johnson Space Center, spent part of his 34-year career with NASA performing research on...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Solutions Remediate Contaminated Groundwater

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Kennedy Space Center’s launch complexes have seen a lot. They have been the starting point for every manned NASA mission, from Mercury to...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Lightweight Material Patches Allow for Quick Repairs

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Here on Earth, if your sink springs a leak, you can call in a plumber, or if you’re handy, you can head out to the local hardware...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Energy Servers Deliver Clean, Affordable Power

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Imagine you are about to be dropped in the middle of a remote, inhospitable region—say the Kalahari Desert. What would you want to have...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Image Sensors Enhance Camera Technologies

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Buzz Aldrin standing on the stark surface of the Moon. The towering gas pillars of the Eagle Nebula. The rocky, rust-colored expanses of Mars....

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Compact Radiometers Expand Climate Knowledge

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

NASA not only peers up to gather information about space; it also peers down to gather information about Earth. As part of the Science Mission...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Aerogels Insulate Against Extreme Temperatures

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

“When you hold a piece of silica aerogel, it feels otherworldly. If you drop it on a table top, it has an acoustic ring to it. It sounds...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Systems Analyze Water Quality in Real Time

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

If you are planning a day at your local park or even a weekend camping trip, you would simply pack all the food, drink, and supplies you need....

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

LED Systems Target Plant Growth

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Living in space long term will require a sustainable environment. Plants provide fresh food, clean air, and clean water that will assist this effort, but...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Compact Instruments Measure Heat Potential

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Without the insulating protection of Earth’s atmosphere, orbiting space shuttles, space stations, and satellites are subject to thermal...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Voltage Sensors Monitor Harmful Static

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Anyone who has ever experienced an unpleasant jolt from a doorknob after shuffling across the carpet on a dry morning knows that static...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Gauging Systems Monitor Cryogenic Liquids

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Rocket fuel needs to stay cool—super cool, in fact. The ability to store gas propellants like liquid hydrogen and oxygen at cryogenic...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Methods Reduce Cost, Enhance Quality of Nanotubes

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

For all the challenges posed by the microgravity conditions of space, weight is actually one of the more significant problems NASA faces...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Innovative Tools Advance Revolutionary Weld Technique

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

The iconic, orange external tank of the space shuttle launch system not only contains the fuel used by the shuttle’s main engines...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Robust Light Filters Support Powerful Imaging Devices

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Consider the anatomy of a rainbow: From the inner arch, violet shifts to blue, then green, yellow, and red. Contained in the rainbow...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Thermoelectric Devices Cool, Power Electronics

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

More than 10 billion miles away from Earth, a NASA spacecraft continues a journey that began in 1977. Having long since accomplished its...

Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Tensile Fabrics Enhance Architecture Around the World

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

On a Friday night in March 2008, fans at a college basketball game at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome noticed the stadium’s scoreboard...