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Web-Based Learning Tool LicensedSatellite Technology Helps on the Farm

Experiment Demonstrates Improved Test Method

Web-Based Learning Tool LicensedSatellite Technology Helps on the Farm

Experiment Demonstrates Improved Test Method

NASA’s Role in EducationNASA’s Role in Education

Welcome to Innovation3 NASA Education

Cover Story4 NASA’s Role in Education

Technology Transfer7 JPL Licenses Technology to Map Earth

8 Students Launch Mars VE

8 Web-Based Learning Tool Licensed

Advanced Technologies10 Air Pollution Monitored from Space

11 Satellite Maps Urban Sprawl

12 Satellite Technology Helps on the Farm

Aerospace Technology Development15 Next-Generation Space Transportation Effort Launched

15 Experiment Demonstrates Improved Test Method

17 Science Demonstration Missions Receive Funding

Small Business/SBIR19 Alert System Warns of Hazard

20 Small Business Develops Risk Analysis System

21 SBIR Research Yields Spin-Off Company

Moving Forward22 Technology Opportunity Showcase

23 NCTN Directory

24 Events

About the Cover: Marshall Space Flight Center’sProject LASER (Learning AboutScience, Engineering andResearch) provides support formentor/tutor requests, educationtours, classroom presentations andcurriculum development. Here,students view their reflections inan x-ray mirror at the DiscoveryLaboratory, an on-site MSFClaboratory facility that provideshands-on educational workshopsessions for teachers’ andstudents’ learning activities.

ContentsChief EditorJanelle Turner

[email protected]

Managing EditorLiz Cousins (NTTC)

ResearchAnne Cecil (NTTC)Liz Cousins (NTTC)

Amanda Weisenborn

Online EditorsJoel VendetteKenyon West

Art Direction/ProductionJoel Vendette

Michelle Cheston

Contributing WritersJohn Bluck

Michael BraukusPamelia Caswell

Lynn ChandlerLiz Cousins

Neil DissingerThomas Gould

Yvonne KelloggCharissa Kolar

Victoria KushnirJune Malone

Carolina MartinezFrank Owens

Katherine PruzanLaurel Stauber

David SteitzRosemary Sullivant

Leslie Williams

Database ManagerTrenita Williams

Aerospace Technology Innovation is published bimonthly by the NASA Office of Aerospace Technology. Your feedback provides an importantcontribution to this publication. To provide comments or input, or to be added to our regular distribution, please write to the Editor’sInternet address listed above or the following postal address: Aerospace Technology Innovation, NASA, Code RC, 300 E Street SW,Washington, DC 20546. Please provide your address, phone number and your industry classification. Material from this publication MAY bereproduced without the permission of the publisher.

Volume 9, Number 4 July/August 2001

Online Edition: Go to http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov on theWorld Wide Web for current and past issues.

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NASA EducationBy Frank C. OwensDirector, Education DivisionNASA Headquarters

SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE NATIONALAeronautics and Space Administration in 1958,

NASA and our nation’s education program have traveledparallel paths. We share the same goal—that of explo-ration, discovery and the pursuit of new knowledge andachievements.

In testimony before Congress, NASA AdministratorDaniel S. Goldin declared, “NASA’s success depends onthe educational system to produce the highly skilled andknowledgeable workforce that is necessary to performthis cutting-edge work. Likewise, the nation’s educa-tional system looks to NASA for inspiration and to exem-plify doing things that once were only imaginable—featsthat motivate and encourage our students to study sci-ence, mathematics, technology and engineering. Futureleaders of America, even if not astronauts, scientists orengineers, must have a fundamental understanding ofscience, mathematics and technology to reap therewards of NASA’s discoveries.”

As outlined in the NASA Implementation Plan forEducation 1999–2003, NASA seeks to involve the educa-tional community in our endeavors to inspire America’sstudents, create learning opportunities and enlighteninquisitive minds. Our goal is to capitalize on NASA’sunique assets—its mission, people and facilities—tosupport local, state, regional and national mathematics,science, technology and geography education reformefforts through collaboration with other organizationsin high-impact reform activities.

The fundamental component of any NASA educationactivity is the content or knowledge derived from theNASA mission. At the Agency level, this knowledge is theoutcome of the NASA mission as defined by the fiveStrategic Enterprises: Aerospace Technology, HumanExploration and Development of Space, Earth Science,Space Science and Biological and Physical Research.NASA’s Education Program translates this content tomeet our customers’ needs at precollege and higher edu-cation levels.

To accomplish our goal, our national Education Pro-gram comprises initiatives that are designed to addressindividual state needs and to support each state’s effort toimprove the achievement of all students in the system.This state-based methodology allows for greater customer

focus, increased diversity and widespread and unique col-laborations; and it facilitates an evaluation of our efforts atthe local level. Our programs are designed to serve stu-dents and educators from kindergarten through the post-graduate level. The intention is to keep students in thepipeline as they participate in a variety of programs and,ultimately, meet the future workforce needs of NASA, theuniversity or one of our aerospace industry partners.

NASA’s national Education Program is comprised of50 state programs. The NASA network in each state con-sists of NASA Field Center personnel, contractors andPrincipal Investigators. All states have the opportunityto be involved with their Space Grant Consortium andto have access to our NASA Aerospace Education Spe-cialists, NASA Educator Resource Centers and NASAField Centers.

Under contract with NASA, the Alabama Mathemat-ics, Science and Technology Education Coalition(NASSMC) played a significant role in the developmentof the Alabama Mathematics, Science and TechnologyInitiative. The Coalition for Improving Math and ScienceEducation in Florida is a major player in the design andoversight of a statewide professional development pro-gram funded at $2.5 million for 2001. The Virginia Math-ematics and Science Coalition participated in andstrongly influenced the development and adoption of Vir-ginia’s Mathematics, Science and Technology Standardsof Learning and its requirements for teacher licensure.For each of these successes, as well as many others,NASA has served as a facilitator to “align the vectors” ofNASA resources to affect positive change for the state.

The future of NASA depends highly on a scientificallyand technologically astute workforce and population.Ideally, a kindergarten student could begin to partici-pate in a program such as GLOBE (Global Learning andObservations to Benefit the Environment) or local sci-ence/engineering fairs, and continue to participatebeyond high school at the undergraduate, graduate andpost-graduate levels.

Students and educators nationwide have the oppor-tunity to participate in NASA missions through theSpace Grant College and Fellowship Program, Under-graduate Student Research Program (USRP), GraduateStudent Research Program (GSRP), Co-Op Program,Summer Faculty Fellowship Program and ResidentResearch Assistantships. In addition, there are numer-ous opportunities for students, teachers and faculty toparticipate in programs with NASA Field Centers andthe NASA Enterprises.

To learn more about NASA’s Education Programs,visit www.education.nasa.gov f

http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov

WELCOME TO INNOVATION

JULY • AUGUST 2001 3

NASA’s Role in Education

EXPLORATION, DISCOVERY AND THE PURSUITof new knowledge and achievements are the par-

allel goals of NASA and the educational programs of theUnited States. NASA strives to reach its goals through anumber of programs developed for teachers and students in all age ranges. NASA’s contribution to edu-cation has been and is based on the Agency’s inspiringmission, specialized workforce, close working relation-ship with the research and development community,and unique world-class facilities. Based on theseunique attributes, NASA has created a comprehensiveEducation Program containing a portfolio of activi-ties directed toward education at all levels—elemen-tary, middle, secondary,community college, under-graduate, graduate andpostdoctorate.

NASA ’s educationalprograms, projects andactivities are all made upof three components: thecontent, which is basedon the NASA mission; thecustomers, which are theformal and informal edu-cational communities;and the program category,which is the manner in which NASA education activi-ties are provided to the customer.

The fundamental component of any NASA educa-tional activity is the content or knowledge derivedfrom the NASA mission. At the Agency level, thisknowledge is the outcome of the NASA mission asdefined by the five strategic enterprises: AerospaceTechnology, Human Exploration and Developmentof Space, Earth Science, Space Science and Biologi-cal and Physical Research. The role of NASA’s Edu-cation Program is to add value by translating thiscontent to meet customers’ needs.

The customers for NASA’s education productsare the formal and informal educational communi-ties. At the kindergarten through 12th-grade lev-els, content derived from the NASA StrategicEnterprises is tailored to meet customer needs andguided by national, state and local curriculumstandards for science, mathematics, technologyand geography. At the postsecondary levels, cus-

tomers are directly involved in and support NASA’smission needs. The informal education communitytargets both K–12 and postsecondary levels, andincludes science and technology centers, muse-ums, planetariums and other nonprofit educationorganizations.

Six categories make up the NASA education pro-gram and define how the content is delivered to theeducational community: teacher/faculty preparationand enhancement; curriculum support and dissemi-nation; support for systemic improvement of educa-tion; student support; educational technology; andresearch and development.

NASA has developed educational programs forstudents at all levels, in a variety of fields of interest.Following are examples of some of the many oppor-

tunities available to stu-dents through the NASAEducation Program.

LEARNERS ProgramAids Students

“NASA has an obliga-tion to education,” saysDr. Shelly Canright, Man-ager for Education Tech-nology. The knowledgederived from NASA ’sresearch from exploringthe Earth, solar system,

the space environment and aeronautics must be pro-vided in useful and transferable media and sharedwith the educational community so that it might beused to meet specific needs and interests. Among theelectronic media used by NASA are videoconferencing,Internet, video and CD-ROMs. NASA offers a suite ofelectronic products to the educational community.From the Emmy Award-winning video and Web seriesNASA CONNECT to the audio- and text-based Webchats and video Web casts offered through NASAQuest, NASA is committed to assuming a leadershiprole in supporting educational excellence and involv-ing the educational community in its endeavors.

During the 2000–2001 school year, sixth- andseventh-grade students at the Ann Street School inNewark, New Jersey played hosts to a group ofNASA scientists who had been invited to the schoolto learn about a student research project. The stu-dents began their presentation by explaining to theguests how certain birds, including the eagle,

4 AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov

COVER STORY

THE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

NASA OFFERS ARE DESIGNED

TO INSPIRE AMERICA’S STUDENTS,

CREATE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND

ENLIGHTEN INQUISITIVE MINDS.

osprey and sandhill crane, migrate along seasonalflyways during the spring. Through the use ofNASA satellite data available on the Internet, thestudents had tracked and recorded the birds ’migratory behavior.

The students are part of a growing group of stu-dent scientists who are learning the wonders of theEarth and sky, thanks to a NASA-funded effort calledLeading Educators to Applications, Research andNASA-related Educational Resources (LEARNERS).Led by the Learning Technologies (LT) Project, partof NASA’s Educational Technology Program, thefunded LEARNERS projects are trying to enhanceK–12 science, mathematics, technology and geog-raphy education in classrooms and informal learn-ing environments across the country.

LEARNERS programs focus on using Internet-based tools to deliver content from various NASAmissions. It is a unique cooperative program thatlinks students and teachers with NASA resources and

experts. A wide variety of Web-based educationaltechnologies delivering content related to NASA’smissions will be demonstrated by seven programsthat are in various stages of development at six uni-versities and one independent research laboratory.

“As a government agency whose output adds newinformation to the pool of human knowledge, NASAhopes the inspiration and intellectual excitementinherent in the Aeronautics and Space Program willenrich many fields,” says Mark Leon, NASA’s LT Pro-ject Manager.

“Fields of study that stand to benefit from thisprogram include social science, life science, physicalscience, mathematics and technology,” Leon says.“So the cooperative agreements we have signed withLEARNERS participants are two-way streets. NASAalso benefits through new blood and new ideas byeveryone involved with LEARNERS.”

Additional information on LEARNERS projectscan be accessed at http://learners.gsfc.nasa.gov

JULY • AUGUST 2001 5http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov

Continuing with an experiment as a part ofBioBLAST, a student discussesher progress in the lab with a science resource teacher.BioBLAST is a multimediacurriculum supplement for highschool biology classes. Itencourages students toconduct real scientificresearch, based on actualresearch now being conductedby NASA’s Advanced LifeSupport Research program.Photo provided by NASA’sClassroom of the Future.


Pilot Undergraduate Research Program Begins

The first group of students is participating in thenew Undergraduate Student Research Program(USRP), another element in NASA’s continued com-mitment to educational excellence and support foracademic research.

USRP attracted more than 1,100 applicationsfrom undergraduate students around the country.Some 100 students representing 70 of the nation’scolleges and universities—and fully representativeof America’s rich diversity—are participating in the program.

An essential objective of this program is toaddress the need to increase the nation’s under-graduate and graduate science, engineering, mathe-matics and technology skill base. In particular,USRP will provide undergraduates with challengingresearch experiences designed to pique student aca-demic interest in these fields and disciplines. Theprogram is intended to encourage continued stu-

dent career interest aligned with NASA’s researchand development mission.

“We are extremely pleased with the response to thispilot program. The caliber of students who competedfor these hands-on research assignments was extraordi-nary. And, we must commend the research communi-ties at our NASA Centers for their very deliberate effortsto help this program achieve its goals,” said FrankOwens, Director of the NASA Education Division.

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium of Hamp-ton, Virginia provides national coordination of theUSRP pilot program.

The education programs NASA offers are designedto inspire America’s students, create learning oppor-tunities and enlighten inquisitive minds. By utilizingits unique resources, NASA is supporting educationalexcellence for all. f

For more information, contact Frank Owens, Director of the Education Division,

NASA Headquarters, 300 E. Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001, or visit

http://education.nasa.gov Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

COVER STORY

Collecting data that will be shared with others around

the world, a student measuresthe height of his plants that

are a part of the Classroom ofthe Future’s Farming In Space

project. In this activity, studentsexamine the growth of two

varieties of wheat plants andtwo varieties of fast plants.

An analogous experiment will be run aboard a space

shuttle and the International Space Station in 2002.

Photo provided by NASA’sClassroom of the Future.


JPL Licenses Technology to Map Earth

ANEW RADAR MAPPING TECHNOLOGY designed to generate high-resolution, three-

dimensional maps of Earth, beneath foliage and othervegetation, has been licensed by NASA’s Jet Propul-sion Laboratory in Pasadena, California to EarthDataInternational, Inc., Fresno, California.

This will be the first system that will be able tomap above, through and below the vegetation canopy,providing important information such as data aboutlandslides that are overgrown with vegetation.

The National Imagery and Mapping Agency(NIMA), in conjunction with JPL and EarthDataInternational, Inc., showcased the Geographic Synthetic Aperture Radar (GeoSAR) mapping systemto an audience of congressional sponsors and poten-tial military and civilian users of GeoSAR map prod-ucts during an open house held at the SignatureAviation Hangar, Ronald Reagan National Airport,Washington, DC in early June.

“A special feature of the GeoSAR system is its abil-ity to acquire three-dimensional images of Earth’ssurface through a technique called interferometry,”said Dr. Scott Hensley, the System Developer at JPL.“Because GeoSAR uses radar, the system will be ableto operate both day and night, under almost anyweather condition.”

JPL designed and constructed the radar systemsand the processing software, which was licensed toEarthData International, Inc., a mapping and remotesensing company, from the California Institute ofTechnology in Pasadena, which manages JPL forNASA. After the system is fully tested, EarthDataplans to use this license to provide GeoSAR mappingservices on a commercial basis to both military andcivilian clients.

Building on JPL’s years of leadership and experi-ence in the field of interferometric radar remote sens-ing, the GeoSAR team concluded that the mostpromising way to measure Earth beneath the trees isto use a combination of X-band and P-band (UHF)radar waves. The shorter wavelength X-band radarmeasures near the tops of the trees, while the longerwavelength P-band radar penetrates the foliage. Usingdata from the dual-frequency radar, the GeoSAR sys-tem can produce high-resolution elevation models

with precise vertical accuracies of one to five meters(3 to 16 feet).

The GeoSAR system can allow the military torapidly map vast areas where limited data exist fromother sources. Other federal, state and local govern-ment agencies, as well as private sector organiza-tions, also may use GeoSAR data to betterunderstand seismic change in forested areas, assessforest fire damage or measure timber volumes andbiomass. The data will also help in land use planning,environmental protection, flood plan managementand other geographic analyses.

The program, which is managed by NIMA, willundergo a yearlong test period. During this testperiod, using EarthData’s Gulfstream-II aircraft, JPLand EarthData, with NIMA support, will collectGeoSAR imagery and data over sites in California,the Eastern United States, the Northwest, Alaska andSouth America. These data collections will enableJPL to refine the data processing algorithms. NIMAanticipates the system will be commercially opera-tional by late 2002.

The Defense and Civil Programs Office at JPL isresponsible for the collaboration between JPL andEarthData. The collaboration is one of several JPLprograms designed to bring the benefits of the spaceprogram to American industry. JPL is the lead U.S.center for robotic exploration of the solar system. f

For more information, please contact Scott Hensley at the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, ✆ 818/354-3322, ✉ [email protected] Please mention

you read about it in Innovation.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory has licensed a newradar mapping technologydesigned to generate high-resolution, three-dimensionalmaps of Earth beneath foliageand other vegetation toEarthData International, Inc.The technology uses acombination of shorterwavelength X-band radarwaves to measure near thetops of trees, while, as shownbelow, the longer wavelengthP-band radar waves penetratethe foliage. Photo provided by Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


Students Launch Mars VE

DEVELOPED AT NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER(ARC), Moffett Field, California, Mars Virtual

Explorer (Mars VE) takes students on a journey tothe future.

The Mars VE CD-ROM is an interactive multime-dia project that allows students to understand basicconcepts of space exploration and the search for lifein the universe. Expert mentors from NASA are avail-able for students to consult in their research efforts.

Mars VE was produced by the NASA Ames Officeof Education as part of an educational outreach.Laura Shawnee, Project Manager of Mars VE, said“we wanted to break down some of the barriers togetting more students involved in math and science,and take away some of the mystery … to make itmore exciting for them.”

The program was also developed to give studentsinsight into how NASA works, according toShawnee. “We haven’t been to the planet Mars,other than Viking, so how would you explore aplanet you haven’t been to before? What are thethings you look for to determine if there may be life

on the planet? Mars VE is trying to take some ofthat mystery away.”

MARS VE has been licensed and is being distrib-uted by Modern School Supplies, Inc. of Bloomfield,Connecticut. According to George Herman, ChiefExecutive Officer of Modern, the program has beenselling for about a year. “It takes a little while tobuild momentum in the educational market. We aretrying to bring the program to more people. We haverecently signed an agreement with the leading edu-cational software distributor in the United Kingdomfor them to carry Mars VE, and the AstronomicalSociety of the Pacific will be carrying it in their cata-log. It’s a wonderful product, and I want to get it tomore people.”

To use the program, students work in teams andare assigned a research category. As their missionobjective, they use 3D software that simulates cutting-edge technology to virtually explore four landing siteson Mars, choosing the best one to do their team’sexperiment.

The idea behind Mars VE, Shawnee says, is to“make students comfortable with the scientificinquiry process and to have fun doing it.” f

For more information, contact Modern School Supplies at ✆ 800/243-2329,

ext. 311, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

Web-Based Learning Tool Licensed

AFLORIDA COMPANY IS COMMERCIALIZING AWeb-based educational tool as the result of a

Senior NASA Manager’s inspiration to encourageyoung women to explore engineering careers. RWDTechnologies, Inc., of Merritt Island, Florida, devel-oped Launchpad to Learning, a media-rich, Web-based training environment that motivates studentsto discover engineering role models.

JoAnn H. Morgan, Director of the External Rela-tions and Business Development Directorate atKennedy Space Center (KSC), was inspired during aNational Academy of Engineering summit to find away to reach young people and promote the “under-attractive” career field of engineering. The resultingpilot project involved NASA at KSC and the RWDeLearning team. “The teamwork and commitmentto the project was evident in the final product

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Top: Mars VE uses 3D software that simulates

cutting-edge technology,allowing students to explore

four landing sites on Mars“virtually”, choosing the best

one to do their team’sexperiment. Bottom: The Mars

VE CD-ROM is an interactivemultimedia project that

allows students to understandbasic concepts of space

exploration and the search forlife in the universe. Photo

provided by Modern SchoolSupplies, Incorporated.


demonstrated in Washington, DC. In addition, meet-ing the short turnaround was a tremendous suc-cess,” said Morgan.

RWD has a standing relationship with NASA,stemming from previous working relationships andexisting license agreements for Web interactivetraining. The former Merrimac Interactive MediaCorp. is also a graduate of the Florida/NASA Busi-ness Incubation Center. RWD offered NASA a solu-tion that would engage middle school students toexplore engineering through a virtual world of aspace shuttle mission.

Nancy Yasecko, eLearning Solutions Manager andPrincipal Innovator, said that RWD has licensed itstechnology to Space Media Corporation, a Canadianvideo and multimedia resource company formed toserve the growing needs of companies involved incommercial operations in space. “The number ofengineers available to NASA and to high-tech compa-nies across the United States is getting smaller evenas the demand is growing. By licensing the project toSpace Media, access to over 500,000 students in itsdatabase greatly increases the project’s potentialimpact,” she pointed out.

Launchpad to Learning is described as an openportal to external learning resources. “It offers multi-ple Internet links to encourage students who want toknow more to explore related engineering and careersites. It also includes teacher resource links thatidentify the state and national math and science stan-dards covered by this site,” Yasecko explained.

When a student accesses the Launchpad Web site,a montage sequence focuses the student’s attention.Once an engineering discipline is selected, a femaleaerospace engineer talks briefly about how shebecame an engineer and the kind of work she does atKennedy Space Center. She also introduces the physi-cal laws that govern each of the three interactiveareas: lift, sonic booms and shuttle reentry. Theinteractive areas give the student an enjoyable expo-sure to engineering and an early sense of technicalcompetence.

NASA at Kennedy Space Center has a history ofdeveloping and utilizing interactive Web-based train-ing (WBT) applications. One successful development,also licensed by Merrimac (now RWD), is the WebInteractive Training (WIT) project. Several WIT-based training courses were developed for the Safetyand Mission Assurance Directorate at KSC. Coursesinclude non-destructive evaluation, advanced statis-tical process control and radiography. NASA’s objec-

tive was to efficiently and effectively train a largebase of NASA workers using state-of-the-art tech-nologies delivered over the Internet through a Webbrowser interface. f

For more information, contact Thomas Gould at Kennedy Space Center,

✆ 321/867-6238, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you

read about it in Innovation.

NASA TRAFFIC SCHEDULER SEEKS COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, recently hosted acommercialization briefing at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport for companiesinterested in licensing an “airport traffic scheduler.”

The automated traffic management system, originally developed by NASA toalleviate congestion at the nation’s busiest airports, is now available for businessapplication and commercial licensing.

Scientists developed the system, called TRAJECT, at Ames to improve thescheduling and directing of airplanes. Engineers tested TRAJECT at Atlanta’s HartsfieldInternational Airport for the 1996 Olympics, and the system has been in operation theresince. During a technology licensing briefing at the airport on May 30, 2001, NASAresearchers discussed potential commercial applications of the system, explaining howit can benefit airports. Attendees also got a glimpse of this informational “tool” at workfrom the air traffic control tower in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the nation.

“Ames originally developed TRAJECT as a real-time airport surface movementadvisor to electronically interconnect data from the air traffic control tower, ramp control,airline data and airline operations. This facilitates information sharing and improves taxiqueuing,” said Jon Hagstrom, of Ames’ Computational Sciences Division. “By reducingairport departure taxi times, TRAJECT may save airlines tens of millions of dollarsannually,” he added.

According to its developers, the TRAJECT software tool has application in a widerange of situations, not just airports. The system can receive, process and manage real-time information from a variety of data sources. This capability allows the software toautomate the scheduling of the movement of multiple items—boats, trucks, railroadcars, containers and others—in ports, shipping yards, docks and a host of similarenvironments.

“The TRAJECT system combines databasing, data fusing and artificial intelligence tomake inferences based on numerous information streams from ground operations,”explained Brian Glass, Ames’ Technology Team Lead.

“This system is the only operational tool of its kind,” added Systems Engineer ChrisLeidich. “Just as important, it has already proven its amazing robustness and reliabilityat the Atlanta airport,” he said.

More than 35 companies expressed an interest in attending the briefing, withrepresentatives from 15 companies observing the demonstration of the software. Todate, five companies have applied for licensing. f

For more information, contact Cathy Pochel, Technology Commercialization Manager, NASA Ames Research

Center, Commercial Technology Office, ✆ 650/604-4595, ✉ [email protected]

http://ctoserver.arc.nasa.gov/ Please mention you read about it in Innovation.


Air Pollution Monitoredfrom Space

NASA’S TERRA SPACECRAFT HAS PRODUCEDthe most complete view ever assembled of the

world’s air pollution churning through the atmos-phere, crossing continents and oceans. For the firsttime, policymakers andscientists now have a wayto identify the majorsources of air pollutionand can closely trackwhere the pollution goesanywhere on Earth.

The new global air pol-lution monitor onboardTerra is the innovativeMeasurements of Pollu-tion in the Troposphere,or MOPITT experiment,which was contributed tothe Terra mission by theCanadian Space Agency.The instrument was developed by Canadian scientistsat the University of Toronto and built by COM DEV

International of Cambridge, Ontario. A team at theU.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research(NCAR) processed the data. MOPITT is making thefirst long-term global observations of the air pollu-tant, carbon monoxide, as Terra circles the Earthfrom pole to pole, 16 times every day. Carbon monox-ide is a byproduct of the incomplete burning of fossilfuels by cars, industry, home heating and the burningof natural organic matter such as wood.

“With these newobservations, you clearlysee that air pollution ismuch more than a localproblem. It ’s a globalissue,” said John Gille,MOPITT Principal Investi-gator at NCAR in Boulder,Colorado. “Much of theair pollution that humansgenerate comes from nat-ural sources such as largefires that travel great dis-tances and affect areas farfrom the source.”

The first MOPITT obser-vations were released at the annual American Geophysi-cal Union spring meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

This flat global map showsconcentrations of carbon

monoxide (CO) at altitudes of15,000 feet. Dark green colors

in these images indicate thehighest levels of CO (450 parts

per billion). Medium greencolors indicate the lowest

levels of CO (50 ppb). Terrasees CO in the atmosphere

from 2–3 miles above thesurface, where it interacts

with other gases and formsozone. This pollutant can move

upward to altitudes where itcan be blown rapidly for great

distances or it can movedownward to the surface. CO

is an air pollutant that alsoproduces ozone, a greenhouse

gas that is a human healthhazard. Photo provided by

Goddard Space Flight Center.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,

POLICYMAKERS AND SCIENTISTS

NOW HAVE A WAY TO IDENTIFY

THE MAJOR SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION

AND CAN CLOSELY TRACK WHERE

THE POLLUTION GOES.


The most dramatic features, taken last year fromMarch to December, are the immense clouds of car-bon monoxide from grassland and forest fires inAfrica and South America. The plumes slowly travelacross the Southern Hemisphere as far as Australiaduring the dry season in that part of the world.

Gille was surprised to discover a strong source ofcarbon monoxide in Southeast Asia. The air pollu-tion plume from this region moves over the PacificOcean and reaches North America, frequently atfairly high concentrations, according to Gille. Whilefires are the major contributor to these carbonmonoxide plumes, he suspects, at times, industrialsources may also be a factor.

“The MOPITT observations represent a powerfulnew tool for identifying and quantifying pollutionsources, and for observing the transport of pollu-tion on international and global scales,” saidatmospheric chemist Daniel J. Jacob at HarvardUniversity in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who usedMOPITT data this spring in a major field campaignto study air pollution from Asia. “Such informationwill help us improve our understanding of the link-ages between air pollution and global environmen-tal change, and it will likely play a pivotal role inthe development of international environmentalpolicy.”

MOPITT also captured the extensive air pollutiongenerated by the forest fires in the western UnitedStates last summer. A major source of air pollutionduring the wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere isthe burning of fossil fuels for home heating andtransportation, which can be seen wafting acrossmuch of the hemisphere.

Although MOPITT cannot distinguish betweenindividual industrial sources in the same city, it canmap different sources that cover a few hundredsquare miles. This is accurate enough to differentiateair pollution from a major metropolitan area, forexample, from a major fire in a national forest. Abouthalf of the global emissions of carbon monoxide arecaused by human activities.

Carbon monoxide is not only a hazardous air pol-lutant, it is also a chemical compound that producesozone, a greenhouse gas that is a human health haz-ard. MOPITT sees carbon monoxide in the atmos-phere from two to three miles above the surface,where it interacts with other gases and forms ozone.This pollutant can move upward to altitudes where itcan be blown rapidly for great distances, or it canmove downward to the surface.

By tracking plumes of carbon monoxide, scientistsare able to track the movements of other pollutantssuch as nitrogen oxides that are also produced by thesame combustion processes but cannot be directlydetected from space. f

For more information, please contact David Steitz at NASA Headquarters,

✆ 202/358-1730, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about

it in Innovation.

Satellite Maps Urban Sprawl

AMAJOR ADVANCE IN SATELLITE-BASED LANDsurface mapping has led to the creation of more

accurate and detailed maps of our cities. These mapsprovide urban planners with a better understandingof city growth and how rainfall runoff over paved sur-faces impacts regional water quality.

Maps taken from space are invaluable to city plan-ners and state agencies monitoring water quality inurban areas, and are replacing the more expensiveand time-consuming traditional aerial photography.

These space-based maps of buildings and pavedsurfaces, such as roads and parking lots, which areimpervious to water, can indicate where large stormwater runoffs occur. Concentrated amounts ofrunoffs lead to erosion and elevated amounts of soil

This image shows Landsat data from March and April 1998 of the Washington/Baltimore area. A specialalgorithm has been applied toilluminate the changes in low-density residential land use, which exemplify sprawl. There is a link betweenimpervious surfaces within a watershed and water qualitywithin the watershed. Dark green represents highconcentrations of impervioussurfaces. Medium greenrepresents moderateconcentrations, and light greenrepresents low concentrations ofimpervious surfaces. Photoprovided byhttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov



and chemical discharge into rivers, streams andground water.

Scott Goetz, Project Manager of the NASA-spon-sored Mid-Atlantic Regional Earth Science Applica-tions Center (RESAC) at the University of Maryland,presented these highly detailed surface maps recentlyat the American Geophysical Union spring meeting inBoston, Massachusetts.

Andrew Smith, a Faculty Research Assistant work-ing with Goetz at the Mid-Atlantic RESAC, developeda faster and less expensive capability, utilizing Land-sat 7 and Space Imaging’s Ikonos satellite data, togenerate accurate maps of paved surfaces. “It’s amajor advance in monitoring capability because aer-ial photo mapping can’t keep up with the pace ofchange,” Goetz said. “Our maps of counties and citiescapture new development and can be repeated muchmore quickly than the tedious and expensive tradi-tional photo interpretation work.”

Urban sprawl results in more paved surfaces andless area for water to drain into soils. Reduceddrainage areas bring more water into fewer drainagesystems at a faster rate, eroding the banks of streamsand rivers, and adding more sediment to the water.“If you increase an impervious surface near a streamby creating a paved parking lot, for example, youdirectly affect the quality of life in the stream becauseof the runoff that surface will generate,” Goetz said.

Smith cites previous researchers who have showna relationship between the amounts of impervioussurface cover within a watershed and the quality ofsurface water within that watershed. Generally, when10 to 15 percent of an area is covered by impervioussurfaces, the increased sediment and chemical pollu-tants in runoff have a measurable effect on water qual-ity. When 15 to 25 percent of a watershed is paved orimpervious to drainage, increased runoff leads toreduced oxygen levels and harms stream life. Whenmore than 25 percent of surfaces are paved, manytypes of macroorganisms and microorganisms instreams die from concentrated runoff and sediments.

Impervious surface maps also are useful in map-ping urban sprawl. Sprawl is indicated on the mapsby increases in land consumption and housing con-struction. By monitoring an area over time, maps canshow the progress of residential development. Cur-rently, the RESAC team is working with planningdepartments to add the data from the maps intofuture urban planning models.

Smith has produced a map of the Washington-Baltimore area that quantifies how much impervious

surface there is across the entire region. Baltimoreand the counties that border it have from 20 to 40percent of impervious surface area, indicating thatpollution from runoff could be a problem. The Dis-trict of Columbia and surrounding watersheds in Vir-ginia and Maryland have levels of impervious surfacesbetween 20 and 30 percent. Areas between andbeyond the Baltimore-Washington corridor are more“green,” with levels that range from 0 to 20 percent.

The RESAC team has provided maps to the Chesa-peake Bay Program, Maryland’s Departments of Plan-ning and Natural Resources and Montgomery CountyDepartment of Environment, among others, to moni-tor water quality and changes in residential land use.These organizations incorporate the impervious sur-face area data into models that predict water quality,future land use and the potential effectiveness of vari-ous “smart growth” policies.

NASA launched Landsat 7 in April, 1999. Imagesare archived, processed and distributed by the U.S.Geological Survey, which is also responsible forday-to-day operations of the satellite. This researchis being conducted as part of NASA’s Earth ScienceEnterprise, a long-term study of how natural andhuman-induced change affects our global environ-ment. f

For more information, visit http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/earth/

landsat/sprawl.htm or contact David Steitz at NASA Headquarters,


it in Innovation.

Satellite Technology Helps on the Farm

SOME OF THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO THE LANDwill be the first to benefit from a new global posi-

tioning technology developed to make NASA satellitesmore efficient and cost-effective.

Farmers will soon get the chance to put the newsystem to the test through a partnership betweenNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Cali-fornia and NavCom Technology Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Deere & Company of Moline, Illinois.

Tractors will be equipped with receivers providinginstant location information, which is vital for preci-sion farming. The technology will allow farmers tonavigate fields at night and when visibility is poor.


More importantly, with soil sensors and other moni-tors, it will let them calculate and map out preciselywhere their fields may need more water, fertilizer orweed control, saving both time and money.

The system combines software developed by JPLand real-time global positioning system (GPS) datafrom the NASA GlobalGPS Network to producecorrections to the GPSorbits and clocks. Thesecorrections are broadcastto people using commu-nication satellites oper-ated by NavCom, whichhas licensed the Internet-based Global DifferentialGPS software from JPL’sparent institution, theCalifornia Institute ofTechnology in Pasadena,and plans to market thesystem this summer.

“NASA’s Earth ScienceEnterprise supports pioneering exploration and dis-covery of our home planet, while providing Americaand the world with practical societal benefits fromour research,” said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, AssociateAdministrator for NASA’s Office of Earth Sciences.

“Our agreement with NavCom will accelerateNASA’s ability to develop, test and demonstrate theutility of global, real-time, precise GPS positioning

for scientific and public applications,” said JohnLaBrecque, Manager of the Solid Earth and NaturalHazards Program for the Office of Earth Sciences.

While existing GPS data can be used to locate a posi-tion within a few meters, the new Global DifferentialGPS system provides an instantaneous position to

within 10 centimeters (4inches) horizontally and 20centimeters (8 inches) ver-tically anywhere on Earth.No other system providesthe same combination ofaccuracy and coverage.

In space, the newtechnology may enableimproved performance byNASA’s Earth-observingsatellites. Since the satel-lites will have preciseinformation on theirposition, the informationmay make onboard dataprocessing more efficient

and reduce the time needed to transmit the data tothe ground. NASA also expects this new positioningtechnology to open the possibility for new airborneexploration techniques through more accuratelycontrolled flights of airborne sensors.

“In the area of natural hazard monitoring, real-time data from radar and ground networks of GPSreceivers might provide the ability to monitor vol-

Farmers will soon get thechance to benefit from a newglobal positioning satellitedesigned by JPL to makeNASA satellites moreefficient and cost-effective.The system will equip tractorswith receivers to provideinstant location informationthat is vital for precisionfarming. Photo provided byJohn Deere Corporation.

TRACTORS WILL BE EQUIPPED

WITH RECEIVERS PROVIDING INSTANT

LOCATION INFORMATION,

WHICH IS VITAL

FOR PRECISION FARMING.


canic activity precisely and in real time, like themotion before, during and after major earthquakes,”said Dr. Yoaz Bar-Sever, Task Manager of the NASAGlobal Differential GPS demonstration at JPL.

The system’s ability to provide precise positioninginformation in real time has a variety of potential com-mercial applications in aviation, marine operations,land management, transportation and agriculture.

The Commercial Technology Office at JPL is respon-sible for the collaboration between JPL and NavCom,which will provide NASA with a continuous, GPS differ-ential-correction signal and also will invest in improving

the NASA GPS infrastructure. This collaboration is justone of several JPL programs designed to bring the bene-fits of the space program to American industry.

NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise funds the devel-opment of the Global Differential GPS system. TheEnterprise is a long-term research effort dedicated tounderstanding how human-induced and naturalchanges affect the global environment. f

For more information, contact David Steitz at NASA Headquarters,

✆ 202/358-1730, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it

in Innovation.


FREE NASA SOFTWARE A HIT WITH PUBLIC

Asoftware program developed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to calculate pipe stress and offered free to the publichas been transferred to more than 150 companies and individuals, according to the KSC Technology

Commercialization Office. Commercialization Manager Lew Parrish explained that KSC wants to share the NASA-developed Piping Stress

Analysis Software with companies needing a quick, easy-to-use and efficient method of calculating pipe stress in straightpipe applications. Current methods used for piping stress analysis tend to rely on basic formulas and a hand calculator, oron complex software packages that are often difficult to use for even simple cases.

NASA KSC Engineer Eric Thaxton developed the utility that calculates the stress, the working pressure or the requiredpipe wall thickness in a simple, straightforward manner. The Piping Stress Analysis Software offers individuals andcompanies an opportunity to use a product that is more powerful and flexible than traditional paper and calculatortechniques, and it is easier to use than most of the currently available software packages.

The software was originally written in Fortran 77 and ported for a DEC VAX computer running the VMS operatingsystem. Another NASA Engineer, Lewis Lineberger, rewrote the program in C language, allowing it to run on a PC in aDOS, Windows or Windows NT environment.

Those interested in trying the software vary from private individuals to universities, the Coast Guard, engineeringconsulting firms, construction companies, architects, smelting companies and other NASA Centers. Most recipients ofthe software say they want it for internal company use, although some are evaluating it for possible marketing as acommercial product.

KSC sees potential commercial uses in the aerospace and petrochemical industries, nuclear and conventionalpower plants, and consulting engineering firms. Benefits of the software include its ease of use and flexibility; itscompliance with industry standards, including ASME/ANSI and JIC piping codes; and its use of standard and user-definable materials.

This software calculates the stress, working pressure or the required pipe wall thickness for a given straight pipeapplication. It is not designed to work with curved or angled piping. The program allows the user to select a specificmaterial from a database of commonly used materials or to create a customized database for an unlisted material.

The program analyzes pipes according to several sets of requirements, such as the ASME/ANSI B31.1 and B31.3piping codes and the JIC hydraulics code. Both standard and SI metric versions are available.

This utility is based on the well-established theory of elasticity, the strength of materials and the work of the industrypiping standard committees. It utilizes the Lame equation, standard piping code equations and custom-derived elastic-plastic equations for high pressures. This program is easier to use and more compact than other commercially availablepackages of its type, thus filling a need for many users. It is also more flexible since it can calculate the stress level in agiven pipe at a given pressure, the minimum pipe wall thickness or the maximum allowable pressure. f

For more information, contact Wendy Mizerek at Kennedy Space Center, ✆ 321/867-4879. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.


Next-Generation SpaceTransportation EffortLaunched

NASA HAS ANNOUNCED THE FIRST ROUND OFcontract awards in an agency initiative to find a

more affordable and reliable highway into space. TheSpace Launch Initiative (SLI) is a research and devel-opment effort designed to substantially improvesafety and reduce the high cost of space travel.

The studies initiated with these awards are notintended to provide a specific vehicle design. Rather,this first step marks the beginning of a process that willlead to the development of a common set of advancedtechnologies that NASA will make available to all U.S.aerospace companies. These cutting-edge developmentswill be used for future government and commerciallaunch systems and space transportation operations.

The SLI investment is expected to pay off withfull-scale spacecraft development options aroundmid-decade.

“A second-generation reusable launch vehicle willopen up the space frontier and significantly improvelife on Earth,” said Art Stephenson, Director ofNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville,Alabama (the facility that is leading the program).

“The Space Launch Initiative is a comprehensiveR&D effort that provides technology developments thatdramatically increase the safety, reliability and afford-ability of space transportation systems,” Stephensonadded. “Through this new initiative, NASA’s missionrequirements will be met more efficiently, the U.S.launch industry can better compete in the internationallaunch market, and our nation’s leadership in spacewill continue to grow in the new century.”

NASA first solicited proposals last fall and hasawarded contracts valued at $791 million to 22 primecontractors nationwide, including large and smallcompanies, to allow maximum competition.

The money will be used to develop space trans-portation system concepts and the technologiesneeded to pioneer this extraordinary effort, which isexpected to make the next-generation reusablelaunch vehicle at least 10 times safer and crew surviv-ability 100 times greater, all at one-tenth the cost oftoday’s space launch systems.

These leap-ahead technologies include crew sur-vival systems, advanced tanks and airframe struc-

tures, long-life rocket engines and thermal protectionsystems.

“We’ve got a clean sheet of paper and a wide opencompetition,” added Stephenson. “The goal is todevelop technologies to enable a mid-decade decisionregarding the full-scale development of a versatilespace transportation system that can be used for bothgovernment and commercial services.”

Nearly 300 experts throughout NASA, with techni-cal support from the Air Force Research Laboratory,evaluated numerous proposals leading to this initialdown-select and awards for this first round of SLIcontracts. The awards are for a 10-month base periodwith options for one or more additional years.

The options enable NASA to measure perfor-mance on a yearly basis to make sure the program’sambitious goals are met. This approach also allowsfor continued competition in key technology areasand for NASA to take advantage of new emergingtechnologies.

The planned budget for the Space Launch Initia-tive totals $4.8 billion through fiscal year 2006. Addi-tional solicitations in the fall of 2001 and 2002 willcommit significant additional funds to the effort.

All of NASA’s Field Centers and the Air ForceResearch Laboratory are actively participating in theSpace Launch Initiative and are vital to its success.The Marshall Space Flight Center is NASA’s lead cen-ter for SLI. The Air Force Research Laboratoryincludes research and development facilities at nineU.S. Air Force bases. f

For more information, please contact Dennis E. Smith, Program Manager,

Second-Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Office, NASA, Mail

Code: UP01, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight

Center, AL 35812, ✆ 256/544-9119, 256/544-5095. Please mention you


Experiment DemonstratesImproved Test Method

A FLIGHT EXPERIMENT CALLED THE AERO-structures Test Wing (ATW), conducted at

NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards,California, successfully demonstrated a new soft-ware data analysis tool, the flutterometer, which isdesigned to increase the efficiency of flight fluttertesting.

AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT


The experiment consisted of an 18-inch carbonfiber test wing with surface-mounted piezoelectricstrain actuators. The test wing was mounted on aspecial ventral flight test fixture and flown on Dry-den’s F-15B Research Testbed aircraft.

Five flights consisted of increasing speeds and alti-tudes leading to the final test point of Mach .85 at analtitude of 10,000 feet. At each Mach and altitude, sta-bility estimations of the wing were made usingaccelerometer measurements in response to thepiezoelectric actuator excitation. The test wing wasintentionally flown to the point of structural failure,resulting in about a third of the 18-inch wing break-ing off. This allowed engineers to record the effective-ness of the flutterometer over the entire regime offlutter testing, up to and including structural failure.

The actuators were moved at different magni-tudes and frequency levels to induce wing vibrationsand excite the dynamics during flight. Placement ofthe piezoelectric actuators was determined by NASALangley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia Engi-neer Mercedes Reaves to maximize their effective-ness. The ATW experiment represents the first timethat piezoelectric actuators were used during a flightflutter test. Flight flutter testing is the process ofdetermining a flight envelope within which an air-craft is safe to operate. Traditional approaches forflight flutter testing do not accurately predict theonset of instability; so this testing is a very time-con-suming and expensive process.

“The data acquired during the AerostructuresTest Wing experiment will help us to improve theway we model structures and to validate the flut-terometer concept,” said Dryden Project EngineerDavid Voracek. “The data that was created from theseflights will be invaluable to future flight flutter testengineers for research and training.”

Potential benefits of this research includereduced time and cost associated with aircraft certifi-cation by lowering the number of flights required toclear a new or modified aircraft for flight, and provi-sion of a structural dynamics database for industryand university flutter research.

The flutterometer is an online software tool thatwas loaded on computers in Dryden’s control roomfor the experiment in order to access the flight data.With this new technology, flight data can be analyzedimmediately using the newly developed software todetermine the stability properties of aircraft in flight.It is designed to predict the flight conditions at whichthe onset of flutter may occur. In this way, the flightenvelope of an aircraft can be determined morequickly and safely than using traditional approaches.The ATW experiment was the first time the flutterom-eter was used on a flight system that actually experi-enced flutter.

NASA was recently awarded a patent for the flut-terometer. Its software program combines thestrengths of analytical predictions and online estima-tion methods in the development of a flutterometerconcept. The flutterometer software has previouslybeen evaluated using simulations and wind tunnels,along with flight data from several aircraft typesincluding NASA Dryden’s F-18 Systems ResearchAircraft.

Flutter is the rapid and self-excited vibration ofwings, tail surfaces and other aircraft parts that candamage or destroy an aircraft component. Flutter iscaused by the flow of air across the surface of thestructure. Effectively, the aerodynamic forces couplewith the structural bending and twisting to result inthe destructive vibration.

“The flutterometer represents a significantadvance for flight flutter testing,” said Dryden Pro-ject Engineer Rick Lind. “This tool can result in dra-matic decreases in time and cost for military andcommercial aircraft testing. The ATW experimentwas a perfect demonstration of how the unique facili-ties at NASA Dryden can be used to develop toolsthat are beneficial to the entire aviation industry.”

The ATW was designed by NASA Engineer CliffSticht and was manufactured by Fiberset, Inc.,located in Mojave, California. f

For more information, contact Rick Lind at Dryden Flight Research Center,

✆ 661/276-3075, ✉ [email protected] or David Voracek at Dryden

Flight Research Center, ✆ 661/276-2463, ✉ [email protected]

Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

The Aerostructures Test Wing (ATW), which consistedof an 18-inch carbon fiber test

wing with surface-mountedpiezoelectric strain actuators,

following intentional failure onits final flight. Photo provided

by NASA Dryden FlightResearch Center.


Science DemonstrationMissions Receive Funding

THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACEAdministration has selected two research propos-

als to demonstrate the capabilities of uninhabited,high-altitude aircraft as aerial platforms for Earth sci-ence and commercial applications.

The two demonstrated missions both specify use ofremotely operated uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV)which were matured under the EnvironmentalResearch Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST)project at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center,Edwards, California.

The first proposal, developed by Dr. Stanley Herwitzof Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, woulduse the Pathfinder-Plus solar-powered aircraft to aidHawaiian coffee growers by providing the growers withcolor images of their crops. From this information, thegrowers will know, to the day, the best time for harvest-ing the beans, bringing the best flavor to consumers.

The second mission, proposed by RichardBlakeslee of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center,Huntsville, Alabama, will utilize the Altus® II UAV forresearch missions to better understand how lightningforms and dissipates during thunderstorms.

The two demonstration proposals selected forfunding were among 45 originally submitted toNASA’s Office of Earth Science in response to a NASAResearch Announcement. Dr. Ghassem Asrar, NASAAssociate Administrator for Earth Sciences, made thefinal selections.

As part of NASA’s UAV-based science demonstra-tion program, these demonstration flights will showthe ability of this type of aircraft to carry Earth-view-ing payloads in long-duration missions at altitudesexceeding the endurance of a pilot in a traditional air-craft. These capabilities will benefit both U.S. scien-tific and commercial objectives, with thePathfinder-Plus coffee-imaging study demonstratingthe commercial application of UAVs, while the AltusII missions will focus on scientific research capabili-ties of the craft.

The Pathfinder-Plus, a slow-moving solar-electricflying wing developed by AeroVironment, Inc., ofMonrovia, California, set a world altitude record forpropeller-driven craft of more than 80,200 feet in1998 during a NASA-sponsored flight near Hawaii.

The Altus II, developed by General Atomics Aeronau-

tical Systems, Inc., of SanDiego, California, is a civilvariant of the firm’s RQ-1A Predator militaryreconnaissance UAV oper-ated by the U.S. Air Force.It demonstrated the abil-ity to fly at 55,000 feetaltitude for four hoursduring a series of testflights over the Edwards Air Force Base test range in1999. The Altus II has also been the airborne platformfor a series of cloud radiation studies conducted by San-dia National Laboratory for the Department of Energy inOklahoma and Hawaii in recent years.

The coffee harvest researchers will use thePathfinder-Plus to loiter for long periods over cropfields during the harvest season. Coffee is the leadingagricultural commodity traded on world markets, andHawaiian coffee is among the finest in the world. A keyto producing excellent coffee is knowing the right timeto harvest the beans. The research team hopes thecraft’s unique capability will provide data the growerscan use to select the best time to harvest the beans.

After flights over the Kauai Coffee Company plan-tation, the largest coffee plantation in America, theresearch team will brief coffee industry officials on itsfindings. The demonstration will allow NASA to pro-vide sound science to a multi-billion-dollar Americanindustry and is just one potential agricultural-man-agement application using UAVs.

The Altus II missions will be conducted in restrictedairspace over Florida, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Cen-ter. When a developing storm is spotted, researchersfrom the University of Alabama at Huntsville, with col-leagues from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, Maryland, will send the Altus II above andaround the storm, gauging the various elements thatunleash the fury of storms, while the remote pilotsremain safely on the ground. Using precision instru-ments aboard the aircraft, researchers will take mea-surements to determine lightning potential of thestorms in the hopes of better understanding how differ-ent physical characteristics in the atmosphere can con-tribute to the development of lightning. These data willincrease the understanding of lightning and storms,while providing federal, state and local governmentswith new disaster-management information for use inthe areas of severe storms, floods and wild fires.

The two demonstration missions are “both scientif-ically exciting and commercially appealing,” Dr. Asrar

NASA has selected tworesearch proposals todemonstrate the capabilities ofuninhabited, high-altitudeaircraft as aerial platforms forEarth science and commercialapplications. The Altus® IIuninhabited aerial vehicle(UAV) will be used for researchmissions to better understandhow lightning forms anddissipates duringthunderstorms. Photo providedby NASA Dryden FlightResearch Center.


said. “While validating this new breed of aircraft, we’realso providing sound science with real-world, practicalapplications to the American people.”

The two proposals selected for funding met theNASA requirement that the missions be managed inPrincipal Investigator mode: Each mission’s LeadInvestigator is responsible for choosing the UAV bestsuited for the experiment and for managing all aspectsof the mission for NASA. NASA has identified approxi-mately $8 million to fund the two UAV demonstrationmissions over a period of four years, with funding splitroughly equally between the two proposals.

The missions are part of NASA’s Earth ScienceEnterprise, a long-term research effort aimed at under-standing how human-induced and natural changesaffect our global environment, while providing practi-cal societal benefits to America today. The Earth Sci-ence Enterprise provides the sound science needed bypolicy and economic decision-makers to assure respon-sible stewardship of the global environment. f

For more information, contact David Steitz at NASA Headquarters,


it in Innovation.

TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS ENGINEERS TO “SEE” AIRFRAME NOISE

Bright computer images of landing gear wind noise are enabling NASA engineers to pinpoint loud and preventable aircraft flight sounds more easily thanin the past, raising the prospect of quieter take-offs and landings.In a series of tests conducted at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, the sounds have been depicted as colored images on a

computer screen. These new test data provide critical visual information to aircraft designers concerned about possible enforcement of stricter aircraftnoise rules.

“Some airports are imposing nighttime curfews on noisy take-offs and landings, encouraging aircraft manufacturers to make quieter planes,” said PaulSoderman, leader of the Ames Aeroacoustics Group. “If U.S. airplane makers can’t meet the new noise rules, those manufacturers may well have difficultyselling their aircraft, both domestically and in foreign markets,” he speculated.

Engineers anticipate that the International Civil Aviation Organization, which makes airplane noise rules for much of the non-U.S. aviation community,also will issue lower aircraft noise limits.

“Now that we can easily see the causes of the annoying ‘whooshing’ wind noises that come from airliner landing gear, we can take steps to analyze andeventually reduce the noise significantly,” Soderman said. Airframe parts, including landing gear, flaps and slats, create almost as much noise as the aircraftengines on approach to landing.

“We are pleased to see a lot of detail in the sound pictures. The sound images of the quarter-scale landing gear model we constructed are the first of theirkind generated in the United States at this scale, to the best of our knowledge,” Soderman said. Using an array of 70 microphones inside a wind tunnel walland linked to a computer, engineers can see the vivid images of landing gear wind sounds that normally occur during aircraft take-offs and landings.

The microphone array minimizes wind tunnel airflow noise so that landing gear noise sources as small as 6 mm (about a quarter of an inch) can beidentified. At full-scale, these sources are 24 mm across, or about an inch, according to engineers who conducted the tests in the Ames 7-by-10-foot windtunnel that the U.S. Army operates for NASA.

Researchers reduced noise significantly as they removed various combinations of landing gear parts from the test model in the wind tunnel. “A landing gear slows an airplane as it comes in for a landing, and if we reduce the drag too much, the plane would be traveling faster than it should as it

approaches the runway,” Soderman explained. “Removing pieces, or altering part shapes, is not as easy as it sounds because many of the changes wouldgreatly affect how the landing gear and plane operate. The results from this test will enable researchers to decide how to create air drag, or friction, to slowthe airplane without causing as much noise,” he added.

“Preliminary data analysis indicates that a faired landing gear generates considerably less noise than an unmodified landing gear, and, though fullfairings may not be commercially practical, the data represent a probable lower limit of landing gear noise,” Soderman said. A fairing is a tear-drop-shapedshield airplane designers use to reduce air drag from wind flowing around odd-shaped surfaces.

Ames conducted the landing gear tests in collaboration with researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia and Boeing CommercialAirplane Co., Seattle, Washington as part of NASA’s Quiet Aircraft Technology Program.

In June 2001, engineers plan to attach the quarter-scale landing gear model to a model of a quarter-scale commercial transport wing to conduct moretests. These are slated to take place in Ames’ larger 40-by-80-foot wind tunnel. Researchers will measure airframe fly-over noise and surface wing pressureswith and without the landing gear extended during simulated landing approaches. Researchers also will evaluate noise control devices. f

For more information, contact Paul T. Soderman at Ames Research Center, ✆ 650/604-6675, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it in Innovation.


Alert System Warns of Hazards

ANEW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT EARLYwarning system, developed under the SBIR pro-

gram at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),provides notification to users via location-intelligentpagers of life-threatening hazards and two-way com-munications for critical notifications such as torna-does, floods and chemical spills.

The Earth Alert system, developed by AeptecMicrosystems, Inc., utilizes existing Global Posi-tioning Satellites (GPS)and pager/cellular infra-structure to effectivelyintegrate, analyze anddisseminate informationfor emergency manage-ment. The system isdesigned to feed location-intelligent data to/froma centralized emergencyresponse data center.The field users and theEmergency OperationsCenter can more effec-tively integrate, analyzeand disseminate infor-mation for emergency management. It interpretsincoming warnings, cautions and advisory infor-mation into geo-referenced events that requiremonitoring or response from the emergency com-munity and issues, and receives notification via thepager infrastructure. Additionally, it is envisionedthat Earth Alert-equipped pagers and f ixedreceivers located in schools, hospitals, businesses,churches and other facilities can receive the warn-ing message.

Aeptec has designed a two-way cradle with built-in GPS and a two-way pager for use with Palmdevices. Additionally, the Earth Alert applicationruns on the Palm devices and provides graphic dis-play capabilities that allow the user’s location to bedisplayed in relation to the hazard’s location. Thesystem will enable emergency managers in the field,as well as the community, to receive timely warn-ings specific to their area to spur life-saving actionwhen needed. The notification and transmission ofemergency information to users are determined by a

user profile that has an innovative attribute—itsGPS location. This allows for targeted communica-tions of an event to only those users within an areaof pending actual disaster impact. The two-way capa-bility of the built-in pagers also provides location-intelligent communications to an EmergencyOperations Center (EOC). Police and firefighters canuse the location information to coordinate rescueactivities. The weather and GPS capabilities in thehandheld pager devices will also have significantcommercial value in commercial fishing, boating,hiking, trucking and traveling.

During the early development of the SBIR project,meetings were held with the Federal Emergency Man-

agement Agency (FEMA),the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administra-tion (NOAA)/NationalWeather Service, GSFCand other emergencyagencies to determine thesystem requirements.GSFC has developed theenabling technology in thelast 10 years, but a distrib-ution system capable of delivering urgent disas-ter warning information in a timely manner tothe appropriate people

within a specific community was not currentlyavailable.

Available resources and infrastructure were uti-lized to provide the emergency management capabil-ity. The National Weather Service has emergencyinformation such as severe weather path forecastingand area of impact available for distribution, theEarth Alert universal pager infrastructure providesmeans of notification, and the GPS can provide loca-tion tracking. Aeptec’s goal is to meet the require-ments of FEMA and NOAA by integrating theavailable resources into the Earth Alert system, devel-oping a general-purpose application that can run on adiverse suite of commercial hardware, such as thePalm or WinCE devices. The Earth Alert concept hasresulted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)between FEMA and GSFC to transfer technologiesthat will assist in the mitigation of disasters.

Aeptec has successfully designed, built and testedthe handheld units that incorporate the two-way pag-ing, GPS and graphical and text display functions.

SMALL BUSINESS SBIR

THE EARTH ALERT SYSTEM

UTILIZES EXISTING GLOBAL

POSITIONING SATELLITES (GPS)

AND PAGER/CELLULAR INFRASTRUCTURE

TO EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE, ANALYZE

AND DISSEMINATE INFORMATION

FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

The software used by the handheld units, data centerservers and EOC clients has been developed andtested. Field testing of the entire prototype systemwill be performed at the Aberdeen Proving Groundsthis summer for a disaster mitigation study. f

For more information, contact Fred Schamann at Goddard Space Flight Center,

✆ 301/286-7039, ✉ [email protected] or Matt Herl at AEPTEC,

✆ 301/670-6770. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

Small Business DevelopsRisk Analysis System

LUMINA DECISION SYSTEMS, A SMALL business located in Los Gatos, California, has

jointly developed with NASA a system to analyze theschedule and cost risks in complex projects.

The Schedule and Cost Risk Analysis Modeling(SCRAM) system, based on a version of Lumina’s

Analytica® software tool, was developed under a Phase IISBIR contract with NASA Kennedy Space Center(KSC). SCRAM was developed in response to NASA’sneed to identify the importance of major delays in shut-tle ground processing, which is a critical function inproject management and process improvement.

Lumina CEO Max Henrion explained that Analyt-ica is marketed as a visual software tool for creating,along with analyzing and communicating quantita-tive models. It provides an alternative to the spread-sheet, graphical influence diagrams to showqualitative structure of models and intelligent arrayswith the power to scale up simple models to handlelarger problems. Analytica is available for Windows95/98/NT 4.0 and the Macintosh operating system.The Enterprise version of Analytica 2.0 adds addi-tional capabilities to link to virtually any databaseusing open database connectivity (ODBC) and to hidesensitive portions of models from end-users with newprivacy functionality.

Analytica was used by Resources for the Future(RFF), a nonprofit, non-advocacy research organiza-tion in Washington, DC, to facilitate a U.S. Depart-ment of Energy (DOE) assessment of the “GrandExperiment,” the term used by Congress for the 1990Clean Air Act Amendments. The amendmentsincluded market-based incentives for electrical utilitycompanies to control their pollutant emissions ofprecursors to acid rain. To assess, inform and guideU.S. regulatory policies on these emissions, DOEsponsored the development of an integrated modelcalled the Tracking and Analysis Framework (TAF).TAF required the collaborative effort of more than 30scientists from 11 institutions across the U.S. andnumerous state and federal agencies.

Enrich Consulting, Inc., a Silicon Valley-basedconsulting organization, specializes in customizedsupport systems built with Analytica. Enrich provideshigh-end analysis, expert solutions with training andongoing consulting to clients in banking and invest-ments, high technology and telecommunications.Also, a leading decision support consultant, DecisionStrategies, Inc., of Cumming, Georgia, used Analyticato develop models in record time, saving a major cus-tomer $15 million.

Lumina also offers the Analytica Decision Engine(ADE) to help users employ the decision supportpower in the user’s custom Windows 95, Windows NTand Web-based applications. When called from theuser’s application, ADE can read, modify and evaluateany Analytica-developed model. ADE can also be used


PHASE II AWARDS ANNOUNCED

NASA has selected 27 research proposals for negotiation of Phase II contract awardsfor the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The selected projects,

which have a total value of approximately $16 million, will be conducted by 25 small,high-technology firms located in 13 states.

The goals of this NASA program are to stimulate technological innovation, increasethe use of small business (including women-owned and disadvantaged firms) inmeeting federal research and development needs, and to increase private sectorcommercialization of results of federally funded research.

A total of 267 proposals were submitted by SBIR contractors completing Phase Iprojects. These proposals were evaluated to determine that they met SBIR Phase Iobjectives and were feasible research innovations for meeting agency needs. The newselections were combined with the 110 proposals selected last year.

Phase II continues with the development of the most promising Phase I projects.Selection criteria include technical merit and innovation, Phase I results, value to NASA,commercial potential and company capabilities. Funding for Phase II contracts may beup to $600,000 for a two-year performance period.

The NASA SBIR Program Management Office is located at the Goddard Space FlightCenter, Greenbelt, Maryland, with executive oversight by NASA’s Office of AerospaceTechnology, located at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Individual SBIR projectsare managed by NASA’s ten Field Centers.

A listing of the selected companies can be found at http://sbir.nasa.gov f

For more information, contact Michael Braukus at NASA Headquarters, ✆ 202/358-1979,

✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it in Innovation.


to create and save models, which can be reopened byADE or by Analytica.

The deployment of SCRAM technology could saveindustries millions of dollars by helping themimprove project management processes and identifythe best process improvements to reduce bottlenecksand inefficiencies. SCRAM is based on Lumina’s Ana-lytica risk analysis software package. As a part of theSCRAM development, Lumina developed a version ofAnalytica that can be easily integrated into largersoftware systems. This capability has been commer-cialized and has been used in many other develop-ments, including Web-based decision support.

Existing applications of Analytica include strategicplanning, R&D management, decision analysis and riskanalysis in finance, healthcare, energy, environment,aerospace and telecommunications. Analytica is beingused in major corporations, consulting firms, universi-ties and government agencies on six continents.

KSC is responsible for all aspects of space shuttleground processing, including the testing and checkoutof the three major shuttle components: the orbiter, theexternal tank and the solid rocket boosters. Groundprocessing is a large-scale, highly complex and techni-cal endeavor that involves coordinated use of a widerange of materials and resources with NASA and con-tractor personnel. Processing a single shuttle missionfrom landing to launch is comprised of approximately1,000 major processing tasks organized around 24 sub-systems. About half of these tasks must be completedfor every shuttle mission; the others include periodicmaintenance and inspection, and tasks to handle spe-cial problems and mission-specific processing require-ments.

The SCRAM system was designed for applicationto complex projects where the quantification of theimpacts of specific delay categories on overall projectrisk adds significant value and insights to the projectmanagement team. SCRAM methodologies were suc-cessfully applied to improve the risk managementprocesses in a large software development project.SCRAM is considered by NASA to be a significantimprovement to the state-of-the-art in schedule andcost risk analysis because it allows realistic models ofschedule variables (e.g., task lengths) to be built andanalyzed. Existing risk analysis tools provide con-strained and limited modeling capabilities. f

For more information, contact Thomas Gould at the Kennedy Space Center,

✆ 321/867-6238, ✉ [email protected] Please mention you


SBIR Research Yields Spin-Off Company

W ITH HELP FROM NASA GLENN RESEARCHCenter’s SBIR program, a small Cincinnati

company with a technique for increasing the durabil-ity of metal components of a turbine engine has suc-cessfully brought a product to the marketplace andspun off a company to market the process.

With funding support from the SBIR program,along with technical assistance from GRCresearchers on the ULTRASAFE program’s CrackResistant Disk Materials element, Lambda Research,Inc. perfected their product. Their low-plasticity-burnishing apparatus produces a final surface finishwhich imparts a deep layer of compressive residualstress at the surface that increases the fatigue life ofmetallic components and their ability to withstandcracking. The affordable burnishing process pro-duces results that are superior to those from conven-tional shot peening, and comparable to those of theconsiderably more expensive laser shock peeningprocess.

“We fully expect it to be very useful in aircraft engineand airframe overhaul, where it can extend the life of anaging aircraft and substantially reduce the overall cost ofownership,” said Paul Prevey, President of LambdaResearch. In May, after three years in the program, Pre-vey announced that his company had begun to marketits low-plasticity-burnishing process through a spin-offcompany, Surface Enhancement Technologies.

“This is the kind of success we like to see achievedin our program,” said Walter Kim, SBIR ProgramManager at Glenn.“We could tell by thecontinuing interest ofthe military and thecommercial aircraftindustry, as well asNASA, that they arereally on to some-thing.” f

For more information, contact

Laurel Stauber at Glenn Research

Center, ✆ 216/433-2820,

✉ [email protected]

Please mention you read about it

in Innovation.

With funding support from theSBIR program and technicalassistance from GRCresearchers, Lambda Research,Inc. has perfected a low-plasticity-burnishing apparatusthat produces a final surfacefinish which imparts a deeplayer of compressive residualstress at the surface, increasingfatigue life of metalliccomponents and their ability towithstand cracking. Photoprovided by NASA GlennResearch Center.

Method for Measuring Surface ShearStress Magnitude and Direction UsingLiquid Crystal Coatings

NASA Ames Research Center is seeking partners tolicense the Liquid Crystal Coating Method for MeasuringSurface Shear Stress Patterns. This is a diagnostic tech-nique that gives rapid visual information and measure-ments of surface shear stress magnitude and directionover an entire surface in a continuous, non-intrusivemanner. In aerodynamics research, much valuable infor-mation can be gained from visualizing and measuringshear stress patterns on solid surfaces. Frictional forcesgenerated by gases or liquids flowing over these surfacescan significantly influence the performance of aircraft,ships or surface-transport vehicles. Internal frictionalforces, such as those caused by air compression througha jet engine or blood flow through an artificial heartchamber, also affect aerodynamic or mechanical perfor-mance. To date, measuring surface shear stress requiresexpensive mechanical balances or intrusive probes andsensors. This technique gives rapid visual informationand measurements of surface shear stress magnitudeand direction over an entire surface in a continuous,non-intrusive manner. A shear-sensitive liquid crystalcoating is applied to the test surface, illuminated by awhite light source, and the reflected color patterns arerecorded using a color video camera.

Benefits of this technology include: non-intrusive-ness, with no need to penetrate the surface or disturbthe flow; ease of set-up, with optical access requiredonly for illumination and video camera recording;inexpensiveness, with commercially available coatingscosting less than $10/square foot of surface; immedi-ate full-surface results revealing cause-and-effect rela-tionships between changes in model configuration ortest environment and the resulting surface shear field;compatibility with force and moment balances; onemillisecond response to changing conditions; andaccuracy equivalent to that of existing point-measure-ment sensors when properly calibrated.

Potential commercial uses of the technique includewind tunnel testing of aircraft and components, such aswings and control surfaces; wind tunnel testing of auto-motive designs; track testing of race cars; wind tunneltesting of missiles; and water tunnel testing of racingyachts. Molecules within a shear-sensitive liquid crystalcoating scatter white light as a spectrum of colors, witheach color having a different orientation relative to thesurface. Under normal illumination, any surface pointexposed to a shear vector directed away from theobserver exhibits a color change, with the color shift

being a function of shear magnitude and direction rela-tive to that observer. Conversely, if the shear vector isdirected toward the observer, the coating exhibits nocolor change and appears as a rust or brown color,independent of shear magnitude and direction. Basedon these results, a full-surface shear stress visualizationand measurement method, involving multiple oblique-view observations of the test surface, was formulated,successfully demonstrated and patented. f

For more information, contact Cathy Pochel, Technology Commercialization

Manager, NASA Ames Research Center, ✆ 650/604-4595, 650/604-1592,

✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

New Technology for Smaller, Low-CostRotary Position Sensors

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is seekingcommercial companies to consider licensing orjointly developing a new technology for smaller, low-cost rotary position sensors. The technology can beused as a conventional resolver or integrated withsignal-conditioning electronics in a single unit.Potential commercial applications include any rota-tional measurement application, such as: printers,photocopiers, fax machines; electric motors; robotics;medical scanners; antilock brake systems; and indus-trial manufacturing equipment.

Benefits of the new technology include: productionof conventional resolver signals; production of high-quality sensor information; offer of a full 360-degreerange; availability of a small package size at a low cost;low rotary inertia; multiple output capability possible,with internal signal-conditioning electronics; continu-ous, absolute output without discrete jumps (like withencoders); and electrical redundancy, which can beachieved with minimal volume or cost impact. Thesensor unit also can incorporate signal conditioningelectronics into the housing body to develop thedesired output. The sensor measures absolute positionover the full 360 degrees of rotation and can be minia-turized to fit into various applications. The design canbe configured in slip-ring or brushless versions, andcan easily provide electrically redundant signals. Thetechnology is immune to permanent and alternatingmagnetic fields, which aids in accuracy. f

For more information, contact Rhonda Thompson at Marshall Space

Flight Center Technology Transfer Office, ✆ 256/544-4329,

✉ [email protected] Please mention you read about it in

Innovation.


TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY SHOWCASEMoving Forward

Technology OpportunityShowcase highlights some

unique technologies that NASAhas developed and that we

believe have strong potentialfor commercial application.

While the descriptions providedhere are brief, they should

provide enough information tocommunicate the potential

applications of the technology.For more detailed information,

contact the person listed.Please mention that you read

about it in Innovation.

NASA ONLINEGo to the NASA Commercial

Technology Network (NCTN)on the World Wide Web at

http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov to searchNASA technology resources, find

commercialization opportunities andlearn about NASA’s national network

of programs, organizations andservices dedicated to technology

transfer and commercialization.

NCTN DIRECTORYMoving Forward

Ames Research CenterSelected technological strengths areInformation Technologies, AerospaceSystems, Autonomous Systems forSpace Flight, Computational FluidDynamics and Aviation Operations.

Carolina BlakeAmes Research CenterMoffett Field, California 94035-1000650/[email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterSelected technological strengths areAerodynamics, Aeronautics FlightTesting, Aeropropulsion, Flight Systems,Thermal Testing and Integrated SystemsTest and Validation.

Jenny Baer-RiedhartDryden Flight Research CenterEdwards, California 93523-0273661/[email protected]

Glenn Research CenterSelected technological strengths areAeropropulsion, Communications,Energy Technology and High-Temperature Materials Research,Microgravity Science and Technology,and Instrumentation Control Systems.

Larry ViternaGlenn Research CenterCleveland, Ohio 44135216/[email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths areEarth and Planetary Science Missions,LIDAR, Cryogenic Systems, Tracking,Telemetry, Command, Optics andSensors/Detectors.

George AlcornGoddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland 20771301/[email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratorySelected technological strengths areDeep and Near Space Mission Engi-neering and Operations, Microspace-craft, Space Communications, Remoteand In-Situ Sensing, Microdevices,Robotics and Autonomous Systems.

Merle McKenzieJet Propulsion LaboratoryPasadena, California 91109818/[email protected]

Johnson Space CenterSelected technological strengths areLife Sciences/Biomedical, SpacecraftSystems, Information Systems, Roboticand Human Space Flight Operations.

Charlene Gilbert Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texas 77058281/[email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterSelected technological strengths areEmissions and ContaminationMonitoring, Sensors, CorrosionProtection and Biosciences.

Jim AlibertiKennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center, Florida 32899321/[email protected]

Langley Research CenterSelected technological strengths areAerodynamics, Flight Systems, Materials,Structures, Sensors, Measurements andInformation Sciences.

Sam MorelloLangley Research CenterHampton, Virginia 23681-0001757/[email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths areMaterials, Manufacturing, Non-Destructive Evaluation, Biotechnology,Space Propulsion, Controls andDynamics, Structures and MicrogravityProcessing.

Vernotto McMillan Marshall Space Flight CenterHuntsville, Alabama 35812256/[email protected]

Stennis Space CenterSelected technological strengths are Propulsion Systems, Test/Monitoring, Remote Sensing and Non-Intrusive Instrumentation.

Kirk SharpStennis Space CenterStennis Space Center, Mississippi39529-6000 228/[email protected]

NASA Field Centers NASA’s BusinessFacilitatorsNASA has established several organizations whose objectivesare to establish joint-sponsoredresearch agreements and incu-bate small start-up companieswith significant business promise.

Bill MusgraveAmes TechnologyCommercialization CenterSan Jose, CA 408/557-6820

Greg HinkebeinMississippi Enterprise for Technology Stennis Space Center, MS228/688-3144

Wayne P. ZemanLewis Incubator for TechnologyCleveland, OH440/260-3300

David KershawFlorida/NASA BusinessIncubation Center Titusville, FL321/267-5601

Bridget SmalleyUniversity of Houston/NASATechnology CenterHouston, TX713/743-9155

Joanne RandolphBusiness Technology Development CenterHuntsville, AL256/704-6000, ext. 202

Richard C. (Michael) LewinDepartment of Business and Economic DevelopmentGreenbelt, MD800/541-8549

Julie A. HollandNASA CommercializationCenter/California StatePolytechnic UniversityPomona, CA909/869-4477

Martin KaszubowskiHampton Roads TechnologyIncubatorHampton, VA757/865-2140

Ann LansingerMerger Technology CenterNASA Business IncubatorBaltimore, MD410/327-9150

Small BusinessProgramsCarl RayNASA HeadquartersSmall Business InnovationResearch Program (SBIR/STTR)202/[email protected]

Paul MexcurGoddard Space Flight CenterSmall Business TechnologyTransfer (SBIR/STTR)301/[email protected]

NASA-SponsoredCommercialTechnologyOrganizationsThese organizations were estab-lished to provide rapid access toNASA and other federal R&Dagencies and to foster collabora-tion between public and privatesector organizations. They alsocan direct you to the appropri-ate point of contact within the Federal Laboratory Consortium. To reach the RTTC nearest you,call 800/642-2872.

Ken DozierFar West Technology Transfer CenterUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA 90007213/743-2353

William GaskoCenter for TechnologyCommercializationWestborough, MA 01581508/870-0042

David BridgesEconomic Development InstituteGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, GA 30332404/894-6786

Gary F. Sera Mid-Continent TechnologyTransfer CenterTexas A&M University College Station, TX 77840979/845-8762

Charlie BlankenshipTechnology CommercializationCenter, Inc.Newport News, VA 23606757/269-0025

Pierrette Woodford Great Lakes IndustrialTechnology Center Battelle Memorial InstituteCleveland, OH 44070440/734-0094

Joseph P. AllenNational Technology Transfer CenterWheeling Jesuit UniversityWheeling, WV 26003800/678-6882

Dan WinfieldResearch Triangle InstituteTechnology Applications TeamResearch Triangle Park, NC 27709919/541-6431



EventsThe National SBIR Fall Conference will be held Octo-ber 23 to 26, 2001 in Rapid City, South Dakota. TheNational Science Foundation, in association with theDepartment of Defense, the Small Business Adminis-tration and all 10 SBIR agencies, is the sponsor. Pro-gram Managers and representatives from allparticipating agencies will provide insight into how towork with their respective agencies and answer ques-tions during the one-on-one opportunities. An addi-tional focus of this conference will includecommercialization and information pertaining toEPSCoR states and rural areas. For more information,visit http://www.zyn.com/sbir/cal/index.htm#sdakota

ISA 2001 will take place in Houston, Texas, Septem-ber 10 through 13, 2001. The conference will fea-ture more than 700 of the sensor and controlindustry’s leading manufacturers, along with prod-uct pavilions featuring the latest in motion controland sensors, and the InTech Innovators Center. Formore information, visit http://www.isa.org/ Formore information about NASA’s presence at ISA2001, visit www.nasatechnology.com in August. f

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Space Administration

Office of Aerospace Technology

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