Contact
Jerry Berg
Media Relations Department
(256) 544-0034
jerry.berg@msfc.nasa.gov

Release: 01-371

Annual publication spotlights NASA technologies that improve quality of life

New technologies developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are featured in the latest edition of “Spinoff” – an annual publication highlighting the successes of NASA’s commercial partnerships with the business community.

“Spinoff 2001” explores more than 50 NASA technologies created for the space program, then adapted for use commercially. The highlighted technologies this year include those from previous Spinoff editions, illustrating the many years of hard work and dedication from NASA field centers and industry that have resulted in solid returns on America’s investment in the space program.

Featured spinoffs in the publication developed at, or with the support of the Marshall Center include:

• Laser-etched digital data matrix codes, which contain 100 times as much information as conventional bar codes for tracking parts and keeping records.



• A plant-growth filtration system that increases the shelf life of produce and can drastically reduce costs associated with discarding rotten food.



• A generic spacecraft “brain,” or core module, to lower the costs of satellite development for the commercial information and communications markets.



• Video image stabilization software that provides videotape enhancement and analysis and is adaptable for use in areas such as law enforcement and national defense, plus civilian applications.



• A low-energy electron beam gun for curing composite materials, a valuable new capability for the aeronautics, aerospace and automotive industries.



• A new tool for friction stir welding, a metal bonding process which is revolutionizing the fabrication industry. 



• An innovative metal casting process which creates high-quality, low-cost components for demanding applications such as turbine engines.

 U.S. patents owned by NASA are made available for the widest possible benefit by licensing to industry in return for royalties paid to the inventors and their NASA Centers.

Since its founding in 1958, NASA technologies have enabled American industry to introduce more than 1,200 new or improved products, ranging from improved equipment for breast cancer detection, to systems for water purification, to better, easy-to-use software for a variety of tasks.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Members of the news media who would like a printed copy of “Spinoff 2001,” available now, may contact Jerry Berg of Marshall’s Media Relations Department at (256) 544-0034 or by e-mail at Jerry.Berg@msfc.nasa.gov.