Linking the
World’s
Telephones
When friends and
family call from
other parts of the
country or overseas,
they sound
as if they are right
around the corner.
The scope, clarity,
and reliability of
our long-distance
telephone system
is the result of
communicationssatellite
technology
developed by
NASA over a 30-
year period.
Vital Signs for
Critical Moments
The monitoring
systems used in
intensive care
units and heart
rehabilitation
wards were developed
from the
systems used to
monitor astronauts
during the
first space missions
in the early
1960s. A single
nurse can now
monitor several
patients in critical
care situations.
Countless
Americans
recovering from
heart attacks and
other serious illnesses
or injuries
owe their lives to
this technology, a
direct result of
NASA’s space
program.
practical benefits today
Food Safety for Astronauts Sets
the Standard
The Food and Drug Administration and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture credit
NASA with developing the comprehensive
food safety system, referred to as Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
that the nation uses today. This system,
originally developed for astronauts,
includes principles for preventative food
safety such as minimum cooking temperatures
to kill bacteria and methods of
dealing with food safety hazards. HACCP
has become the accepted safety standard
for the food industry worldwide.
Rewards from Space
3
S.O.S. to Space Provides Global
Rescue Capability
NASA’s research in developing and
demonstrating space-based beacon locators
was used to create an international,
satellite-based search and rescue system
that has helped save almost 13,000 lives
worldwide (as of January 2002). The system
automatically detects and locates
transmissions from emergency beacons
carried by ships, aircraft or individuals.
The system then alerts appropriate rescue
authorities. A total of 30 nations participate
in the system, which operates 24 hours a
day year-round.
Planes, Trains, and Guitars
The NASA Structural Analysis program,
better known as NASTRAN, is a computer
that saves time and money by using a
computerized design process to identify
the strengths and deficiencies of a product
before it is manufactured. NASTRAN
was originally developed by NASA for
human space flight and aeronautics.
Private-sector versions of this software
are now used to design everything from
chemical plants, refineries and trains to
next-generation fighter aircraft, cars,
acoustic speakers, electric guitars and
skyscrapers. The software generates
over $1 billion of revenue annually and
affects hundreds of billions of dollars
worth of consumer products.
Commander Sergei
Zalyotin looks at a plant
growth experiment in
the Zvezda Service
Module on the ISS. In
optimizing plant growth
facilities for flight,
NASA has achieved
record crop yields.
Getting the
Groove on
Airport and
Highway Safety
NASA researchers
determined that
cutting thin
grooves across
concrete runways
reduces the risk of
hydroplaning. The
grooves, which
create channels
for excess water
to drain, have
been shown to
improve aircraft
tire friction performance
in wet
conditions
by 200 to 300 percent.
As a result,
hundreds of commercial
airports
around the world
have had their
runways grooved.
This technique is
now used nationwide
on highway
curves and overpasses;
pedestrian
walkways, ramps
and steps; and
food processing
plants and cattle
holding pens. The
use of grooves on
highways has contributed
to an 85
percent reduction
in highway accidents.
This could be
NASA’s most successful
technology
in terms of lives
saved and injuries
and accidents
avoided.
New “Fields”
and Better Yields
for Agriculture
NASA-sponsored
researchers working
on methods to
grow plants in
space have produced
worldrecord
crops on
Earth using hydroponics,
a technique
that uses
intense lighting
and high levels of
carbon dioxide to
grow crops in
water. The
researchers produced
a laboratory
wheat crop that
yielded five times
more grain than a
typical field-grown
crop. Several
growers and large
corporations are
using NASA’s
techniques to
increase potato
production.
4
NASA hits
Space-Observation Keeps Hurricanes
in Clear View
NASA and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are
now able to monitor weather patterns
from space to enhance hurricane track,
landfall and intensity forecasts.
Measurements from NASA’s Tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and
Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) Earthobserving
satellites help to improve predictions
about hurricanes and other tropical
systems as they move from the open
ocean toward coastal regions. Improved
hurricane forecasting reduces property
damage and saves lives by giving local
residents and municipalities advanced
warning to prepare and evacuate as
needed prior to a hurricane’s landfall.
This view of Hurricane
Isabel was taken in the
fall of 2003 by one of
the Expedition 7
crewmembers onboard
the International Space
Station (ISS).
Big Functions in a Small Package
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are extremely small devices and sensors (comparable to
the size of a human hair). MEMS applications are directly traceable to the miniature accelerometers
NASA developed in the 1970s to measure changes in speed of small objects or activity levels of
people or animals during human space flight. MEMS technology is used now in consumer products
to trigger automobile airbags, regulate pacemakers and even keep washers and dryers balanced.
MEMS-based products have grown into a $3 billion per year industry. The original NASA-sponsored
work on an MEMS accelerometer is referenced in 83 patents; the earliest reference was made in
1975 and the latest in 2003.
Rewards from Space
5
NASA Technique
Benefits Animal
Research
NASA developed
the hind limb suspension
technique
to simulate the
effects of weightlessness
on astronauts’
physiology.
Variations of this
technique have
been used for
almost 25 years
by animal
researchers to
study bone,
muscle and
cardiovascular
atrophy. The technique
is the model
of choice for
independent
medical experts
and researchers
worldwide.
Wildfire Management
Wildfires are a continual concern for communities in the
western United States. In the summer of 2000, for
instance, wildfires consumed 8.4 million acres in this
region. NASA has worked with the U.S. Forest Service to
develop a rapid-response capability for wildfires based on
data broadcasts from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites.
These broadcasts provide daily images of fire patterns
nationwide, helping federal, state and local governments
manage wildfires more effectively.
Breast Cancer
Diagnosis
Breast biopsies
(mammographies)
are essential
for the detection
and treatment
of breast
cancer. As a
result of technology
developed
through the
Hubble Space
Telescope program,
biopsies
can be performed
with a needle
instead of a
scalpel. The needle
biopsies benefit
patients by
leaving only a
small mark rather
than a large scar
and by costing
significantly
less—an average
of $850 compared
to $3,500
for a traditional
biopsy.
Attached to the “robot
arm,” the Hubble Space
Telescope is unberthed
and lifted up into the
sunlight during the telescope’s
second servicing
mission.
other recent applications
6
NASA hits
Lifeshears
This powerful hand-held rescue tool can quickly cut through cars or other enclosures to
free persons involved in an accident or other dangerous situation. Lifeshears were used
by rescue workers searching for survivors at the Oklahoma City Federal building in
1995 and the World Trade Center in 2001. The tool, which was developed through the
joint efforts of the Hi-Shear Technology Corporation, firefighters and NASA, uses the
same power source used to separate solid rocket boosters from Space Shuttles.
Lifeshears are lighter, cheaper and easier to use than traditional rescue equipment.
Rewards from Space
7
Age of the
Universe
In February 2003,
NASA released
the results of a
one-year observation
of the cosmos
by the Wilkinson
Microwave
Anisotropy Probe
(WMAP) Explorer
satellite.
The results
showed the afterglow
or cosmic
microwave background
of the universe
380,000
years after the Big
Bang. Surprisingly,
the data revealed
that the first generation
of stars in
the universe ignited
only 200 million
years after the
Big Bang, much
earlier than many
scientists had
expected. Using
the WMAP portrait,
scientists have
estimated that the
universe is 13.7
billion years old,
with a remarkably
small 1 percent
margin of error.
Shedding New Light on Cancer Treatment
New lighting technology originally developed by NASA for plant
growth experiments in space is improving the treatment of brain
and skin tumors and other medical problems such as wounds.
Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin are using the technology
to improve a chemotherapy technique called photodynamic
therapy. This technique uses focused light to activate
medicines that kill cancerous tumors. In the past, photodynamic
therapy has used a laser light source; the new light source is
more efficient, versatile, accurate and less costly. NASA and
medical practitioners also are investigating the use of this technique
to accelerate the healing of wounds both in space and on
the ground.
Inspiration and Innovation—A NASA Story
At NASA, extraordinary goals inspire exceptional minds. As a
boy in Pakistan, Dr. Rafat Ansari was first inspired to pursue scientific
research when he saw astronauts walk on the moon. This
inspiration eventually led Dr. Ansari to become a researcher at
NASA, where his work with fluid physics has produced an unexpected
and valuable medical care innovation.
Dr. Ansari was conducting experiments to study the effects of
space on colloidal systems (small particles suspended in liquids)
when he realized that his work could relate to cataracts, the
degenerative eye condition affecting his father. Dr. Ansari concluded
that the NASA instrument being developed as part of his
colloids experiment might be able to detect cataracts—possibly
earlier than ever before. This research device is now planned to
be used to assess the effectiveness of new, non-surgical therapies
for early stages of cataract development. The instrument is
also being adapted as a pain-free way to try to identify other eye
diseases, diabetes and possibly even Alzheimer’s. Dr. Ansari’s
discovery has important applications for NASA, since astronauts
face the risk of developing cataracts as a side effect from radiation
exposure during long-duration space flights.
Dr. Ansari and an ophthalmologist
perform a
clinical test using a Dynamic
Light Scattering
Device that determines
molecular interactions
that occur in the human
lens.
A first-generation ethylene scrubber, which
used the same technology as the Anthraxkilling
device, removed ethylene inside the
ADVANCED ASTROCULTURE.™
continuing benefits
8
NASA hits
Expanding
Evidence for
Dark Energy
In 2001, NASA
announced that
the Hubble Space
Telescope had
detected a burst
of light from an
exploding star at
an unprecedented
distance from
Earth. According
to scientists, this
stellar explosion
strengthens the
case for the existence
of a mysterious
form of “dark
energy” pervading
the universe.
The concept of
dark energy,
which is believed
to push galaxies
away from each
other at continually
increasing
speeds, was first
proposed and
then discarded by
Albert Einstein
early in the 20th
century. The
recent Hubble discovery
reinforces
the startling idea
that the expansion
of the universe is
“speeding up.”
The discovery
provides the first
observational evidence
that gravity
began slowing
down the expansion
of the universe
after the Big
Bang, and only
later did dark
energy surpass
gravity and begin
accelerating the
expansion of the
universe.
Rewards from Space
9
Nobel Prizes
Black Holes—Riccardo Giacconi received the 2002 Nobel Prize
in physics for “pioneering contributions to astrophysics” which
have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources. Giacconi discovered
the first X-ray stars and the X-ray background in the
1960s. With funding from NASA, he also has detected sources
of X-rays that most astronomers now believe contain black
holes. His continued research with the Chandra X-ray
Observatory has led to the discovery that the universe is teeming
with black holes, with a super massive black hole existing at
the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Atom Lasers—The 2001 Nobel Prize for physics was awarded
to three scientists, including a Massachusetts Institute of Technology
physicist whose NASA-funded research uses ultra-cold
atoms that form a new type of matter. The Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences said Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle and two other
scientists caused atoms to “sing in unison.” Through their
research, atomic particles were induced to have the same energy
and to oscillate together in a controlled fashion. Laser light has
these qualities, but researchers have struggled for decades to
make matter behave this way. The breakthrough research has
potential uses for extremely precise measurements. The discoveries
may lead to microscopic computers and ultra-precise gyroscopes
that could dramatically improve aircraft guidance and spacecraft
navigation.
NASA Develops
Science
Curricula with
Educational
Publisher
NASA and
Pearson
Education, the
world’s largest
educational publisher,
have
reached an agreement
to develop
new science curricula
for 100 million
elementary
and middle school
students. The new
curricula will be
designed to
increase student
interest in science,
technology,
engineering,
mathematics and
space exploration.
Content will be
supplemented by
data from NASA’s
latest discoveries
and technologies.
NASA’s contributions
to curriculum
development continue
to increase.
For example, in
the year 2000,
over one-third of
astronomy textbook
material was
based on discoveries
made
through NASA’s
space science
research.
First Complete Recording of a Solar Eruption
In 1997, for the first time, instruments on board the NASA WIND
and the European SOHO spacecraft captured the full duration of
an interplanetary weather event that carried a blast of high-energy
particles from the sun to Earth. The particles from the blast, known
as a coronal mass ejection, took four days to reach Earth. The blast
pumped vast amounts of energy into the Earth’s environment,
triggering auroral displays and disrupting radio communications.
This was the first solar eruption recorded from start to finish.
The sun has profound effects throughout the solar system, on
each planet and the space between them. To explain these
effects, we need to understand both the inherent characteristics
of the sun and how its emissions interact with the rest of the
solar system. On Earth these emissions can have short-term
effects, such as interference with satellite communications, as
well as possible long-term implications, such as changes to the
Earth’s climate.
An X-ray image of black hole candidate
XTE J1118+480.
One of the largest solar
flares ever recorded
occurred at 4:51 p.m.
EDT, on Monday, April 2,
2001, as observed by the
Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory (SOHO)
satellite.
space shuttle columbia’s legacy
10
NASA hits
The heart of the Bioreactor Demonstration
System (BDMS) is the rotating wall vessel,
shown here without its support equipment.
During the mission, astronauts studied the
interaction of prostate cancer cells and bone
cells by using a BDMS to form large samples
for research.
Keeping Cells in Suspense
On the Space Shuttle Columbia’s final mission, astronauts
helped scientists study how prostate cancer cells and bone cells
group together or self-assemble. The goal was to learn how the
cells interact in the early stages of cancer when the disease
begins to spread. Columbia’s astronauts used a device invented
by NASA called a bioreactor. The bioreactor helps researchers
turn cell cultures into functional tissue that can be used for
experiments, transplants and drug development. Without a
bioreactor, cells fall to the bottom of a Petri dish and grow as a
sheet one cell layer thick—thinner than a human hair. In NASA’s
space bioreactor, the cells stay suspended and form the kind of
large samples researchers need. During the Columbia mission,
the cell “assembly” grew to the size of a roll of pennies, which is
much larger than anything researchers have seen before. The
Columbia experiment was so successful that NASA plans to fly
similar, longer-term experiments on the International Space
Station.
NASA’s bioreactor has yielded 25 patents and more than 20
licenses. Over 6,000 bioreactor units are now in hundreds of
universities, medical centers and government research agencies
such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the Navy.
Rewards from Space
11
Cleaner Cars
Space flight
research is changing
our understanding
of how
and why things
burn, a scientific
area scientists
thought was relatively
well established
decades
ago. A hydrogen
experiment on
board Columbia’s
final mission
produced the
weakest flames
ever created—100
times weaker than
a birthday candle.
This research
could lead to
cleaner-burning
cars in the future
by helping scientists
improve the
burning of hydrogen
and other
fuels in engines
and furnaces.
Two corporations,
Pratt and Whitney
and General
Electric, have
already used
space flight combustion
research
to improve their
jet engines.
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
NASA Public Affairs Office
Washington, DC 20546
http://www.nasa.gov
NP-2004-04-349-HQetPro
Source(s):
http://www.NASA.gov