Spinoff: Industrial Productivity & Manufacturing Technology

Advanced Sensors Boost Optical Communication, Imaging

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

In 1992, on a gravity assist flyby of Earth that would help propel it along its mission to Jupiter, NASA’s Galileo probe detected a...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Radio Relays Improve Wireless Products

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

In order to transmit communications through Earth’s atmosphere, satellites and space vehicles need radio equipment that can operate at higher...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Modeling Languages Refine Vehicle Design

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

When we watch a space shuttle launch on television, we have only the vaguest sense of the extraordinary amount of work required to make such a...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Software Tools Streamline Project Management

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Three innovative software inventions from Ames Research Center (NETMARK, Program Management Tool, and Query-Based Document Management) are...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Programs Automate Complex Operations Monitoring

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Kennedy Space Center, just off the east coast of Florida on Merritt Island, has been the starting place of every human space flight in...

Spinoff: Computer Technology

Telemetry Boards Interpret Rocket, Airplane Engine Data

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

For all the data gathered by the space shuttle while in orbit, NASA engineers are just as concerned about the information it...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Chlorophyll Meters Aid Plant Nutrient Management

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

On December 7, 1972, roughly 5 hours and 6 minutes after launch, the crew of Apollo 17 took one of history’s most famous photographs....

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Feature Detection Systems Enhance Satellite Imagery

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

In 1963, during the ninth orbit of the Faith 7 capsule, astronaut Gordon Cooper skipped his nap and took some photos of the Earth below...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Antennas Lower Cost of Satellite Access

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Whether for scientific inquiry, weather forecasting, or public safety, the world relies upon the data gathered by satellite remote sensing. Some of...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Cloud Imagers Offer New Details on Earth’s Health

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

A stunning red sunset or purple sunrise is an aesthetic treat with a scientific explanation: The colors are a direct result of the...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Mobile Instruments Measure Atmospheric Pollutants

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

As a part of NASA’s active research of the Earth’s atmosphere, which has included missions such as the Atmospheric Laboratory of...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Satellite-Respondent Buoys Identify Ocean Debris

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

NASA operates a series of Earth-observing satellites, which help scientists learn more about our home planet. Through partnerships with...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Thermal Insulation Strips Conserve Energy

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Launching the space shuttle involves an interesting paradox: While the temperatures inside the shuttle’s main engines climb higher than 6,000...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Nanofiber Filters Eliminate Contaminants

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Water, an increasingly precious commodity on Earth, has always been priceless in space; but “priceless” is a figure of speech—water in space...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Modeling Innovations Advance Wind Energy Industry

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

One morning in 1990, a group of Glenn Research Center (then Lewis Research Center) employees arrived to find their workspace upended by...

Spinoff: Environmental and Agricultural Resources

Star-Mapping Tools Enable Tracking of Endangered Animals

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Try this: Print out a lower-case letter “o” in Times New Roman, 10-point font. Now hold the paper at arm’s length. Viewed...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Tiny Devices Project Sharp, Colorful Images Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Johnson Space Center, NASA’s center for the design of systems for human space flight, began developing...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Phase Change Fabrics Control Temperature

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Since designing the first space suits in the 1950s, NASA has been interested in developing materials to keep astronauts comfortable and cool. In...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Fabrics Protect Sensitive Skin from UV Rays

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Beginning in 1968, NASA began researching garments to help astronauts stay cool. The Agency designed the Apollo space suits to use...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Air Purifiers Eliminate Pathogens, Preserve Food

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

In order for NASA astronauts to explore the solar system, they will need to travel not just as pioneers but as settlers, learning to live...

Spinoff: Consumer, Home, and Recreation

Forecasting Tools Point to Fishing Hotspots

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Sport fishing is an uncertain pastime. Some days the fish are biting; others, not. But for captains of charter fishing boats and recreational...

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

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

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

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

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: Transportation

Nontoxic Resins Advance Aerospace Manufacturing

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

A small pile of PETI-330 resinous powder PETI-330 is the first resin created specifically for high-temperature composites formed with resin...

Spinoff: Transportation

Surface Operations Systems Improve Airport Efficiency

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

As part of its research to make air travel safer, NASA began collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2005...

Spinoff: Transportation

Sensors Locate Radio Interference

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

While many air travelers are accustomed to rules against electronic devices during takeoff and landing, they might not be aware that these devices are...

Spinoff: Transportation

Polyimide Resins Resist Extreme Temperatures

Originating Technology/NASA Contribution

Spacecraft and aerospace engines share a common threat: high temperature. The temperatures experienced during atmospheric reentry can reach...