Modeling Innovations Advance Wind Energy Industry
In 1981, Glenn Research Center scientist Dr. Larry Viterna developed a model that predicted certain elements of wind turbine performance with far greater accuracy than previous methods. The model was met with derision from others in the wind energy industry, but years later, Viterna discovered it had become the most widely used method of its kind, enabling significant wind energy technologies that are providing sustainable, climate friendly energy sources today.
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Image-Capture Devices Extend Medicine’s Reach
NASA’s Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) experiment led to the development of revolutionary medical ultrasound diagnostic techniques for long-distance use, including frame-grabber and data archiving technology that enables ultrasound users with minimal training to send diagnostic-quality ultrasound images and video to medical professionals via the Internet in near-real time—allowing patients as varied as professional athletes, Olympians, and mountain climbers to receive medical attention as soon as it is needed.
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NASA Bioreactors Advance Disease Treatments
Houston-based biotechnology firm Regenetech Inc. acquired the licenses for NASA bioreactor technology from Johnson Space Center. The NASA bioreactor, which allows for the rapid cultivation of healthy cells in simulated weightlessness, is now the foundation of Regenetech’s thriving intellectual property business that is providing researchers with the tools to make adult stem cell therapy—a potential source of treatment for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and sickle cell anemia—viable for the public.
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Sensors Provide Early Warning of Biological Threats
Research into detecting biological traces on Mars brought about biosensor technology now being used to monitor water quality. Incorporating carbon nanotubes tipped with single strands of nucleic acid from waterborne pathogens, the sensor can detect even minute amounts of targeted, disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It can alert organizations to potential biological hazards in water used for agriculture, food and beverages, showers, and at beaches and lakes—within hours instead of the days required by conventional laboratory methods.
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Apollo-Era Life Rafts Save Hundreds of Sailors
To keep astronaut life rafts from capsizing after Apollo-era splashdown landings, NASA designed a self-righting life raft capable of resisting tipping in rough seas. Givens Marine Survival Co. Inc., licensed this invention and now manufactures and markets the rescue rafts in a variety of sizes and models for everything from sailboats to larger ocean-going vessels. To date, Givens has sold several thousand of the rafts, and this space-age technology is credited with saving the lives of over 450 sailors.
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NASA Official: Janelle Turner
Contact: Spinoff Team