Ground traffic management program saves passengers and airlines time while cutting fuel costs If every commuter drove the same few roads at the same time every day, the traffic would be unbearable. That’s exactly what’s happening in the skies above the nation, known as national airspace (NAS). Multiple flights from different airlines try to use … Read more
NASA researchers helped create an insulation coating that blocks heat and sunlight Without proper insulation, sunlight can make buildings feel like ovens. In the late 1980s, Joseph Pritchett aimed to solve this problem by developing a coating for building insulation. He knew of NASA’s experience with thermal testing, particularly with ceramics, which have several uses … Read more
NASA-funded AI technology enabling autonomous rovers and drones now keeps an eye on conveyor belts Artificial intelligence software initially designed to learn and analyze Martian terrain is now at the heart of a system to monitor assembly lines on Earth. The vision inspection software from Neurala Inc., an artificial intelligence company in Boston, Massachusetts, works … Read more
After 50 years of Landsat, discovery of new commercial and scientific uses is only accelerating The 30-acre pear orchard in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has been in Brett Baker’s family since the end of the Gold Rush. After six generations, though, California’s most precious resource is no longer gold – it’s water. And most … Read more
A valve designed for NASA rover landings enables effective stage separations for commercial spaceflight The Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers continue to provide a wealth of information about the Red Planet. This was made possible in part by the sky crane landing systems that safely lowered them to the planet’s surface. Their successful descent, managed … Read more
2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Astronaut Kayla Barron looks at chile peppers growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the International Space Station. Determining the best ways to water plants in space resulted in the development of a new electrostatic spray nozzle, now licensed to industry. Credit: NASA Whether … Read more
Material research is behind the design of a temperature-regulating mug Dr. Hongbin Ma was tired of drinking coffee that had gone cold. Fortunately, Ma, the CEO of ThermAvant Technologies LLC in Columbia, Missouri, was working on a NASA-funded study of phase-change materials, which are used to hold a steady temperature. Materials absorb or release more … Read more
Moon dust, or regolith, isn’t like the particles on Earth that collect on bookshelves or tabletops – it’s abrasive and it clings to everything. Throughout NASA’s Apollo missions to the Moon, regolith posed a challenge to astronauts and valuable space hardware. During the Apollo 17 mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt described his reaction to breathing in … Read more
Efforts to 3D print engines produce significant savings in rocketry and beyond In the fall of 2023, NASA hot fire tested an aluminum 3D printed rocket engine nozzle. Aluminum is not typically used for 3D printing because the process causes it to crack, and its low melting point makes it a challenging material for rocket … Read more
NASA tech adds gecko grip to phone accessory When it comes to innovative technologies, inventors often find inspiration in the most unexpected places. A former salesman, Akeem Shannon, was inspired by his uncle, who worked as an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to research the agency’s published technologies. He came … Read more