To develop controller technology for a variety of missions, Marshall Space Flight Center partnered with a San Diego-based company, Space Micro Inc., through the SBIR program. Today, the technology is embedded in the company's entire series of high-performance, radiation-hardened computers for space. The company has expanded from 4 employees at the beginning of its NASA partnership to 43 today, growing from a $1 million to a $8 million company.

Air flotation technology, manufactured by Rolair Systems, Inc. has found application in Hawaii's Aloha Stadium. This technology derived from the space shuttle, Apollo and the Saturn V Moonbooster. Stadium's configuration can be changed by moving entire 7,000 seat sections on a cushion of air. For best accommodations of spectators and participants at different events, stadium design includes two permanently-fixed sections and four movable sections each of the latter weighing three million pounds. Located under each section are 26 Rolair transporters into which streams of compressed air are directed to inflate a series of elastic doughnut-like diaphragms. Inflation of diaphragms lifts entire massive steel structure about an inch off the ground. Operation is directed from four control consoles, one for each movable section. A single operator can reposition a section in just half an hour.

CryoSIM provides input power and dry mass estimates for insulation and hardware used in in-space applications to maintain cryogens in storage. System heat load estimations and associated propellant loss masses can also be generated.

NASA&#39s cryogenic isolation valve technology uses solenoid valves powered by direct current (DC) electrical energy to control and redirect the energy stored in the upstream line pressure. Powering the solenoid valves only requires a DC power source capable of supplying 22 watts that can be distributed and controlled in an on/off manner. By achieving actuation using only upstream line pressure and a 22-watt DC power source, many additional support systems that are required for electromechanical and pneumatic actuation are eliminated. This reduction of parts results in several benefits, including reduced footprint, weight, and potential cost of the valve in addition to lower energy consumption. NASA fabricated several operational prototype valves using this technology for a rocket company. The table below shows the results of tests performed on these valves under cryogenic conditions. Please contact the NASA MSFC Technology Transfer Office for additional information.

Signal propagation through traditional silica-based optical fibers is limited to visible and near-infrared wavelengths. In contrast, non-oxide glasses such as chalcogenide and heavy metal fluoride glasses (e.g. ZBLAN) are highly transparent from near ultraviolet to mid-infrared wavelengths and have lower theoretical signal attenuation rates, resulting in the ability to transmit wideband signals over significant distances with minimal losses. Theoretical estimates for signal attenuation losses for non-oxide fibers yield values of approximately 0.001 dB/km for a transmitted wavelength of 2.55 micrometers. The theoretical loss for the state of the art fused silica is two orders of magnitude higher at 0.12 dB/km at 1.55 micrometers. However, there are a number of crystals and defects which can serve as scattering centers in non-oxide glass preforms and fibers. These include ZrF4, LaF3, AlF3, ZrO2, platinum particles from crucible reactions, carbon from organic impurities and crucible reactions and bubbles due to contraction, cavitation and gas precipitation. Using this patented preform formation technology, the fibers heated in the 0.1-T magnetic field did not show evidence of crystallization under optical microscopy or Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). As seen the figures below, an axial magnetic field has the effect of suppressing crystallization in ZBLAN. The experiments indicate that the combination of a vertical magnetic field and a rapid cool down from the crystallite melting temperature will ensure that no crystals are present in the preform after processing.

Under a series of SBIR contracts with Marshall Space Flight Center, start-up company Made In Space, located on the center_s campus, developed a high-precision 3D printer capable of manufacturing items in microgravity. The company will soon have a printer installed on the International Space Station, altering the space supply chain. It will print supplies and tools for NASA, as well as nanosatellite shells and other items for public and private entities.

Customer Survey is a generic survey tool that affords the ability to construct, email, and manage surveys. The overhead cost of Customer Survey is extremely low, as the tool exists on a virtual server.

Under a NASA contract, Lake to Lake Dairy Cooperative and Midwest Research Institute compiled a handbook consolidating information about commercially available lubricants. Handbook details chemical and physical properties, applications, specifications, test procedures and test data for liquid and solid lubricants. Engineers use the handbook to effect savings in maintenance labor and material costs by reducing the number of lubricants used on certain equipment. The handbook is a good reference source when a new item of equipment is purchased.

How it works The device incorporates a metallic, variable-area cone-shaped mechanism to restrict the cross-sectional area of a pipe to throttle and control gas and liquid flow. The pointed shape allows easy insertion into a flowing pipe with minimal resistance. The device is anchored within the pipe using compression, lead screws, or pyrotechnic mechanisms when activated remotely. Actuators are used to mechanically change the device shape, which stops or controls pipe flow; with appropriate robotics, activation can be performed remotely. With proper pipe framing, nearly 100-percent flow blockage is possible. Rugged and strong, the device is well-suited for harsh environments and high fluid velocities and pressures. For the oil industry, the device can reduce the amount of escaping oil from a broken pipe while relief wells are drilled. The device can then be removed or used as a valve to measure the amount of flow from inside the pipe, much like a control valve. In the fluid handling industry, the device can be used with additional instrumentation as a variable area flow meter that can be set based upon flow conditions to enhance flow metering accuracy, control pressure losses, or control flow in a closed-loop feedback. Why it is better Millions of gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico during the seabed oil drilling catastrophe of 2010. Numerous strategies to stop or stem the oil flow (underwater vehicles, containment dome, cement seal top kill) proved unworkable before the well was finally capped. Even more controversial than the escaping oil was the inability to monitor and measure the oil flow while repairs were attempted. The NASA innovation can be left in place to permanently plug a pipe, or it can be removed after necessary repairs. Other repair strategies are not removable so permanently block pipe access when used. Also unique is the devices ability to control flow in a wide range (1-95 percent of the original flow) and to measure flow while repairs are made. The first of its kind, this NASA technology can stop, measure, and meter fluid flow from an open or broken pipe and is removable when it is no longer needed.