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With
the 21st century close at hand, maintaining the competitiveness
of American industry is paramount. Technology is a major ingredient
in retaining a national leadership role within the world community.
The great storehouse of technological know-how that the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) embodies can foster
applications far different than those for which they were originally
intended, as these pages of Spinoff clearly demonstrate.
But along with NASA-developed expertise,
there are additional programs that are immensely valuable, and
integral to the production of the treasure trove of space technologies
and secondary applications.
NASA has established numerous technology
outreach programs, offering technical assistance to support small
start-up companies to large enterprises, as well as city and
state organizations. NASA's skills are being transferred from
the space agency's own research laboratories to the public domain
to help solve challenging concerns, such as strategies to reduce
ozone levels in the home, joining efforts to clean water in polluted
bays, or to help save babies following corrective fetal surgery.
Promoting excellence in education is
another area in which NASA is active. Each of the four NASA Strategic
Enterprises--Aero-Space Technology, Earth Science, and Human
Exploration and Development of Space, Space Science--are steeped
in inspiration, wonderment, and the electricity of gaining new
knowledge. Through an array of initiatives, NASA is devoted to
supporting teachers and enthralling the students of today. This
educational mission is focused on increasing the public's awareness
of how science, mathematics, and technology offer the foundation
to help enrich the quality of life in the new millennium.
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