The interior of the Biomass Production Chamber at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida replicated the closed growing environment astronauts will use in space or on other planets to grow fresh crops. As the first controlled environment vertical farm in the United States, the chamber helped NASA provide critical data for the indoor farming industry. Credits: NASA
NASA's mission of exploration requires new
technologies, software, and research – which show up in daily life. The
agency’s Spinoff 2022 publication tells the stories of companies, start-ups, and
entrepreneurs transforming these innovations into cutting-edge products and
services that boost the economy, protect the planet, and save lives.
“The value of NASA is not confined to the cosmos but
realized throughout our country – from hundreds of thousands of well-paying
jobs to world-leading climate science, understanding the universe and our place
within it, to technology transfers that make life easier for folks around the
world,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “As we combat the coronavirus
pandemic and promote environmental justice and sustainability, NASA technology
is essential to address humanity’s greatest challenges.”
Spinoff 2022 features more than 45 companies using
NASA technology to advance manufacturing techniques, detoxify polluted soil,
improve weather forecasting, and even clean the air to slow the spread of
viruses, including coronavirus.
NASA's 2022 Spinoff publication features more than 45 companies using NASA technology to create products and services here on Earth. Credits: NASA
"NASA's technology portfolio contains many innovations that not only enable exploration but also address challenges and improve life here at home," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington. "We’ve captured these examples of successful commercialization of NASA technology and research, not only to share the benefits of the space program with the public but to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs."
This year in Spinoff, readers will learn more
about:
- How companies use information from NASA’s vertical farm to
sustainably grow fresh produce
- New ways that technology developed for insulation in space keeps people warm in
the great outdoors
- How a system created for growing plants in space now helps improve indoor air quality and
reduces the spread of airborne viruses like coronavirus
- How phase-change materials originally developed to help astronauts
wearing spacesuits absorb, hold and release heat help keep race car drivers cool
Other highlights include one of the first robotic commercial
lunar landers, developed with NASA mentorship and
technology investment, which is slated to deliver NASA science and technology
payloads to the Moon in 2022 under the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload
Services initiative. The publication also features a grip-strengthening
glove based on a robotic astronaut assistant that
helps reduce workplace stress injuries, as well as detect-and-avoid systems,
flight simulators, and a navigation app that enable remotely piloted aircraft to fill the sky.
And it tells the story behind the Space Pen.
"These NASA technologies are not only
giving companies and entrepreneurs a competitive edge in their own
industries but are also helping to shape budding industries, such as
commercial lunar landers," said Daniel Lockney, Technology Transfer
program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "NASA is much more
than rocket launches and astronauts. We’re about improving the quality of life
for people all around the world."
The book also features a Spinoffs of Tomorrow section
that highlights 20 NASA technologies ripe for commercial application and
available for licensing. These include a next-generation biometric identity
verification system to
unlock phones and computers using heartbeats, a
nanomaterial thin-film device that
can convert carbon dioxide into fuel, and a self-healing aluminum that
can repair cracks and reverse damage in structures such as aircraft, tanks, and
fuel lines.
U.S. astronaut Walter
Cunningham writes with a Fisher Space Pen during the flight of Apollo 7, the
first crewed Apollo flight and the Space Pen’s first trip to space. The pens
have been used on every crewed NASA mission since. Credits: NASA
Spinoff is part of the agency's Technology Transfer program within STMD. The program is charged with finding the widest possible applications for NASA technology through partnerships and licensing agreements with industry, ensuring that NASA's investments in its missions and research find additional applications that benefit the nation and the world. The program offers several resources for potential licensees in industry, academia, and beyond, including:
- A webinar series featuring
NASA inventors that offers an up-close look at their technology and the
potential applications
- Entrepreneur training through reoccurring NASA Startup
Studio events and an accelerator focusing
on collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- Special licensing terms for
qualified startups that waive the initial licensing fees
Those interested in licensing NASA technology are encouraged to begin their
search by browsing the agency’s patent portfolio.
To read or download the digital version of the latest issue of
Spinoff, visit: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/
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