Volume 10, Number 3 • May/June 2002 • Technology Transfer

Multimedia Units Tell NASA Technology Transfer Story

Interactive multimedia displays are being installed at high-profile locations around Alabama to share stories of technologies born in the space program that change life on Earth.

The standalone stainless steel units feature touch-screen menus and graphic presentations that take viewers on a technology transfer journey that began during the Apollo moon mission days and continues to evolve today.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, multimedia displays tell NASAÕs successes in sight and sound. The Apollo years saw the development of digital imaging processing which led to the widely used body-imaging techniques of today: computer-aided tomography (CAT Scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The Technology Transfer Department at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL has placed the first units. They are at the Huntsville International Airport, Madison Square Mall in Huntsville, the Birmingham International Airport and the Marshall Center complex, Building 4200.

“This is one way we take our message to different audiences,” said Vernotto McMillan, deputy manager of the Technology Transfer Department at Marshall. “We’re trying to reach everyone from children to senior adults, from business travelers to vacationers. The ultimate goal is to give American taxpayers the knowledge of how their space program is benefiting their everyday lives.”

A touch screen dealing with the Apollo years recalls the development of digital imaging processing. It led to the widely used body-imaging techniques of today, including computer-aided tomography (CAT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Astronauts exploring the moon needed a durable, long-lasting portable drill to gather core samples sometimes as deep as 10 feet (3.3 meters). The interactive display explains how the development of those tools led to the millions of cordless rechargeable products used today.

Touch the screen to bring up the story of how insulating products from human space flight are now being used to keep NASCAR drivers cooler during their long races. The composite flexible blanket insulation material significantly lowers temperatures inside vehicles, reducing driver fatigue while increasing racing safety.

Another touch of the screen brings up the story of video image stabilization and registration technology, or VISAR. This computer-based system invented by two Marshall Center scientists dramatically improves video by stabilizing images, making them sharper and more legible. The FBI used it during the investigation of the 1996 bombings of the Atlanta Olympics. Invaluable details were caught on surveillance films. Other law-enforcement agencies have since used the technology to help track and find criminals in several dozen cases across the US. This same technology will soon be incorporated into consumer electronics.

The Multimedia Display Team, bringing NASA’s success stories to a location near you. From left to right: Tom Knight, Cortez III; Vernotto C. McMillan, MSFC Technology Transfer Deputy Director; Tom Hodges, Enhanced Realities; Dawn M. Graham, Getronics Government Solutions; Kathy Jordan-Pettus, KAE Corporation; Constance James, Getronics Government Solutions; Kevin Kunze, Enhanced Realities; and Jacquelene Reid, Exodus Technologies. Not pictured, Helen Stinson, Technology Transfer Small Business Manager.

Touching another part of the display screen brings up the story of light-emitting diodes. Originally used for plant experiments on the space shuttle, this specialized type of light source is now used in important experiments which should lead to the treatment of certain forms of cancer and is being adapted to help with hard-to-heal wounds, including ulcers and severe burns.

“These examples are just part of a much larger effort to bring the amazing advances of space technology to our world,” McMillan said. “The technologies we need to reach the stars are truly the engines that drive America’s future, and we expect many more breakthroughs in the days ahead.”

Exodus Technology Corporation of Huntsville, in conjunction with Getronics Government Solutions of Herndon, VA, along with KAE Corporation and Enhanced Realities, both of Huntsville, developed the multimedia display units through a technology transfer contract. Future plans may include additional units being installed throughout the United States. Q

For more information, contact Helen Stinson at 256/544-7239, helen.stinson@msfc.nasa.gov. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

NASA Official: Jonathan Root • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits