Universities, industries and NASA work together to streamline
space missions and improve life on Earth
Did you know that scientific research in space
affects almost every aspect of our lives? Exploring how to live
in space is providing valuable discoveries and improvements in
the air we breathe, our health and medical treatments, the
energy and products we use in our homes and businesses, the ways
we communicate, and the search for less-polluting fuels that
reduce our dependence on oil. It even affects our entertainment
industry.
NASA's space program focuses squarely on human
and robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.
This new direction calls for commercial participation in order
to strengthen our health, safety, and economic interests as we
make breakthrough scientific discoveries to life here on Earth.
NASA supports and helps fund 12 Research
Partnership Centers that combine universities, industries and
government agencies in space research and engineering programs.
The work of these partnership centers generates technologies and
products to meet NASA's exploration needs, educates the next
generation of space scientists, and brings visible benefits to
society.
These space centers are conducting cutting-edge
research in fields that affect our lives every day, including
medicine, natural resource utilization, power and propulsion
systems, communications, electronics, cameras, spacecraft
systems and components, and life support systems. In all cases,
there are applications to life in space and on Earth.
Auburn University - CENTER FOR
SPACE EXPLORATION POWER SYSTEMS
Northeastern University -
CENTER FOR ADVANCED MICROGRAVITY MATERIALS PROCESSING
University of Maryland -
CENTER FOR SATELLITE & HYBRID COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS
Texas A&M University - College
Station - CENTER FOR SPACE POWER
Colorado School of Mines -
INSTITUTE FOR SPACE RESOURCE UTILIZATION
Florida Atlantic University
- IMAGING TECHNOLOGY SPACE CENTER
Virginia Commonwealth
University - MEDICAL INFORMATICS & TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION
CONSORTIUM
Stennis Space Center -
PROVISIONS TECHNOLOGIES
University of Colorado -
BIOSERVE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
Texas A&M University - College
Station - SPACECRAFT TECHNOLOGY CENTER
University of Houston - TEXAS
CENTER FOR SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS
University of Alabama at Birmingham - CENTER
FOR BIOPHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
CENTER FOR SPACE EXPLORATION POWER SYSTEMS
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Henry Brandhorst, PhD, Director
334-844-5894
Sun Provides Energy for Space Explorers
The International Space Station and most
spacecraft use energy from the sun to operate their research and
life-sustaining equipment, run science experiments, and
communicate with Earth. The Center for Space Exploration Power
Systems at Auburn University works with the Air Force and NASA
on powering human and robotic missions in space and meeting the
energy challenges of life on Earth. Working with ENTECH, Inc.,
the Auburn group is leading the way in harnessing the power of
the sun and turning it into usable energy, through solar arrays
that they test at their large facility. These arrays consist of
solar cell panels that soak up sunlight, transforming it into
electrical energy. They use a special lens to concentrate the
sunlight and focus it onto fewer solar cells that work more
efficiently and cost-effectively than typical solar panels. In
addition, researchers here develop electric propulsion systems,
power supplies, and energy storage. They are engineering new
Stirling engines with no wear-out mechanisms, which will have
the long life needed for space and Earth applications.
CENTER
FOR ADVANCED MICROGRAVITY MATERIALS PROCESSING
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
617-373-7912
Air, Water, Safety Crucial to Explorers
Helping to develop life support systems for
space travel, the Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials
Processing at Northeastern University has found a method of
separating water and carbon dioxide from space environments, and
capturing the water using materials called titanosilicates as
filters.
Minerals forming these materials can be extracted from the lunar
surface and used in life support systems in flight and on the
moon itself.
Titanosilicates also are being used to purify water and air in
spacecraft and on planetary surfaces. Using these materials
allows for the creation of oxygen radicals, which kill harmful
biological agents. The Boston research center works with Kennedy
Space Center, Ames Space Center, Cornell University and Nihon
University on this project. Another function of titanosilicates
lies in radiation shielding within the spacecraft structure.
In addition, the center is developing a sensor to detect
airborne contaminants, chemicals, bacteria and yeast. Partners
on this project include Purdue University, Ames Space Center and
Kennedy Space Center.
CENTER FOR
SATELLITE & HYBRID COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
John Baras, PhD, Director
301-405-6606
Earth-Space Networks Link People Around the World
Satellite and ground-based communication - once
separate technologies - are now integrated into hybrid networks
using telephone, cable, wireless, Internet and satellite systems
to meet communication needs around the world. Voice, data and
video information is disseminated at high speeds through these
networks.
A pioneer in breaking communications boundaries, the Center for
Satellite and Hybrid Communications Networks at the University
of Maryland conducts research in its state-of-the-art
laboratories and testing center. Internet over satellites was
first established, demonstrated and commercialized by this
center, working with Hughes Network Systems engineers. Their
work targets hybrid networks, making the different systems
operate together seamlessly.
The center also develops sensor networks, military and
commercial mobile ad hoc networks, network security, networks
for health care, space exploration networks for communication
and sensing, intelligent optical networks, hybrid RF and optical
networks. The Department of Defense is a major partner, along
with Telcordia, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Viasat, IBM and Lucent.
CENTER FOR SPACE POWER
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
Fred Best, PhD, Director
970-845-8768
Human Body to Heat Spacecraft
In the very near future, a new method of using
humidity and gases from the human body may help control
atmospheric conditions inside orbiting spacecraft.
The Center for Space Power at Texas A&M University has developed
a two-phase, gas and liquid vortex separation process that
de-humidifies human-occupied spacecraft cabins and puts the gas
and moisture to good use. The vortex separator keeps components
at just the right temperature, using the movement of working
fluids to provide thermostat-like control of the astronauts'
home in space.
Energy can be stored in many forms, including a rotating mass
called a flywheel. When operating at high rotational speeds
using magnetic bearings, this technology offers the potential
for 10 times the energy performance of batteries. A spinning
flywheel can even re-orient the spacecraft's position in orbit
without using any fuel.
Researchers and engineers here fly their concepts from the lab
in space, to test their technology and prepare for orbital
flight.
The center has been selected as part of the nation's first
university-led team selected by NASA to serve a major role in
providing crew, robotics and vehicular equipment for the human
space flight program, under a $48 million contract.
INSTITUTE FOR SPACE RESOURCE UTILIZATION
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado
Mike Duke, PhD, Director
303-273-3607
Missions to Moon, Mars to Use Planets'
Resources
Like the famous explorers Lewis and Clark, space
adventurers heading to the moon and Mars will live off the land
on their journeys far from home. And, since their spacecraft
will carry limited amounts of fuel, explorers will look to the
natural environment of space to manufacture the air, water and
fuel needed to survive and return home.
Working with a team of universities, companies and NASA field
centers, the School of Mines Institute for Space Resource
Utilization is investigating how to use the rocks and soil of
the moon to make fuel and construction materials. They are also
working with NASA to reduce damage to astronauts and equipment
from the dust on the moon and Mars.
This group is also working with Lockheed Martin Corporation to
develop a special membrane to help produce methane-and-oxygen
rocket fuel from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere.
The institute's SpaceDRUMS project, developed with Guigne Space
Systems, uses acoustic beams in a high-temperature facility in
space, to develop advanced ceramic materials for bone
replacements, dental crowns and industrial tools as well as for
shuttle and space station repairs.
IMAGING TECHNOLOGY SPACE CENTER
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
William Glenn, PhD, Director
561-297-2343
Super Video to Advance Space Science and
Medicine
A highly advanced, digital alternative to 35mm
motion picture cameras is being developed by the Imaging
Technology Space Center at Florida Atlantic University, with
support from NASA, ONR and Panavision - the world leader in
camera systems for the motion picture industry.
The new camera, called HDMAX has eight times the resolution of
HDTV cameras. No other camera in the world matches these
specifications, and astronauts will use this system for
scientific and safety applications on the International Space
Station in 2006. Future versions of this camera will also have
applications in telemedicine for sick and injured people in
space as well as in remote locations around the world.
Studies indicate that over 80 percent of all medical problems
can be diagnosed with images and data transmitted to doctors
located elsewhere. The images and data are sent via satellite or
optical fiber and accessed on computers by medical experts
anywhere in the world. With information in hand, they can make a
diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
The center has a high-resolution, ultrasound sensor that is
expected to one day replace the physician's stethoscope and
interface with a palm-type computer for patient statistics,
analysis, and record management.
MEDICAL
INFORMATICS & TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION CONSORTIUM
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia
Ron Merrell, M.D., Director
804-827-1020
Computer Systems to Guide Surgery in Space
As NASA plans for long-duration space missions
to the moon and Mars, medical technology must be able to
accompany astronauts wherever they go.
The Medical Informatics and Technology Application Consortium at
Virginia Commonwealth University designs computer and
statistical techniques to manage information that can save lives
in space as well as in remote corners of the Earth, using
portable cameras and telecommunications equipment.
One of their projects involves computer hardware and software
that captures video, audio and patient data during a surgical
procedure - feeding the information to a surgeon's computer
anywhere in the world. Perfecting the process of recording an
entire surgical procedure and providing health care in cases
where distance would normally be a barrier, the consortium is
developing what they believe will be the operating room of the
future.
Working with the Department of Defense, this team formulates
telemedicine strategies. They developed techniques for
compressing digital images from high-definition cameras for
rapid transmission and response. For disaster life support
training, they designed a modified Personal Data Assistant (PDA)
to empower health professionals with current and detailed health
information.
PROVISIONS
TECHNOLOGIES
Institute for Technology Development
Stennis Space Center, Mississippi
George May, PhD, Director
228-688-2509
Imaging Sensors Find Disease, Heal
Wounds
Sensors that capture ultraviolet and infrared
energy waves can detect the presence of disease-carrying
bacteria and even tell how well a wound is healing in the body.
ProVisions Technologies, a research center focusing on highly
specialized imaging systems, designs and builds remote,
hyperspectral sensors for use by NASA, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the
FBI.
For space travelers, a handheld sensor can capture images of a
wound, data about possible infection, and how well the area is
healing. The data can be transmitted to a doctor on Earth;
however, this center is working on a system that will diagnose
and prescribe treatment in real time to provide autonomous
medical care.
A similar type of sensor will detect biopathogens that could
cause the spread of disease in a space cabin environment. This
system also works on food and animal feed, which is the basis of
ProVisions' work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Such remote sensing instruments are used in crime fighting,
mapping genetically modified plants, and medical science dealing
with functions of the eyes.
BIOSERVE
SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Louis Stodieck, PhD, Director
303-735-5308
Researchers Blaze Health Trail in Space
Scientists and engineers at the University of
Colorado's BioServe Space Technologies Center play an important
role in space exploration, developing flight equipment designed
to conduct immune system tests and keep astronauts' bones and
muscles in tip-top shape.
BioServe has flown numerous payloads in space, including a study
of the effects of the natural human protein OPG in preventing
bone loss when the body is exposed to prolonged weightlessness
in space. Amgen Pharmaceutical Corporation works with BioServe
on the bone loss study and applies their findings to new
osteoporosis drugs.
By helping to solve this critical health problem for astronauts,
BioServe's work in space also may lead to a solution for the
growing number of people suffering from osteoporosis on Earth.
The Colorado center is one of the nation's first university-led
teams selected by NASA to serve a major support role in the
development of crew, robotics and vehicular equipment for the
human space flight program under a $48 million contract.
SPACECRAFT TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
David Boyle, PhD, Director
Phone: 979-845-8768
Star Tracker Points the Way
Before long, steering a spacecraft to a specific
point on the moon or Mars will be as easy as driving a car with
a Global Positioning System (GPS) pointing the pilot in
precisely the right direction.
The Spacecraft Technology Center at Texas A&M, working with the
Aerospace Engineering Department and an industry partner, has
developed state-of-the-art equipment that determines a craft's
direction in space according to the position of the stars. This
star tracker, known as Khalstar, also enables satellites to
point their antennas and sensors with extremely high precision
toward Earth.
Enabling the use of a powerful photography system is a major
focus of the technology center. The center will test in space a
video camera that is a generation ahead of the latest
high-definition cameras and a step toward digital cinema for all
of us. Called HDMAX, the system will photograph astronauts
floating inside the space station and will be used for science
and telemedicine purposes.
The center was selected to serve a NASA support role in the
development of crew, robotics and vehicular equipment for the
human space flight program under a $48 million contract.
TEXAS CENTER
FOR SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS
University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Alex Ignatiev, PhD, Director
713-743-2815
Rover to Harvest Moonpower
Future electrical energy for space exploration
and for life on Earth may come from an untapped source - the
moon.
A roving lunar power facility developed by the Texas Center for
Superconductivity and Advanced Materials is preparing for the
chance to harvest solar energy available on the moon as a
natural resource in space. The rover will deposit thin-film
solar cells on the moon's surface to collect the sun's energy in
order to meet the needs of humans and robots, run equipment
needed to build a lunar base, power life support systems, and
beam surplus energy back to Earth..
The University of Houston center focuses on energy solutions for
space missions that can also mean energy efficiency on Earth.
The center works with over 40 government, industry and academic
affiliates to create new technologies using advanced materials
and high-temperature, superconductors.
They developed a superconducting wire that carries 1,000 times
the amount of current that can be carried by copper wire used in
our homes. This technology has a broad spectrum of power
applications - all the way from small motors to electrical
propulsion to advanced rocket engines.
CENTER FOR
BIOPHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Larry DeLucas, PhD, Director
205-975-9590
UAB Center Selected for NASA Support
Role
A team of researchers at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Biophysical Sciences and
Engineering has been selected by NASA for the opportunity to bid
on upcoming projects that provide crew, robotics and vehicular
equipment support for the space shuttle, International Space
Station and space exploration over the next five years.
A new $48 million NASA contract with universities and industry
partners in three states is the first-ever scenario allowing
university-led proposals for the design, analysis and
development of hardware for the human space flight program.
The Alabama center also was selected to design and build
"GLACIER," a cryogenic refrigerator flight system to support
NASA's research in biomedical and biological sciences that will
enable humans to live and work in space.
Its 18,000 sq. ft. facility includes areas for mechanical,
electrical and software assembly, testing and a 100K class clean
room - all managed under a Quality Management System that is ISO
9001:2000 certified with Design.
Since 1990, this team has developed four ground and 16 flight
experiment systems that have flown on 43 shuttle flights with no
on-board failures.
