2004 Space Technology Hall of Fame
"For 16 years, the Space Foundation has honored extraordinary space technologies that enhance the quality of life on Earth through its Space Technology Hall of Fame program," says NASA Administrator Sean O´Keefe. "The 2004 Hall
of Fame honorees are a
shining example of how the exploration of space returns incredible and sometimes unexpected benefits for
all of us on Earth."
The Space Foundation announced the selection of four "down to earth" technologies for induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Three were spawned by NASA efforts, and the fourth by the work of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The 2004 Hall of Fame inductees range from a medical technology that enables thousands of people to see better, to software with the ability to determine the location of satellite orbits with pinpoint accuracy. The four products incorporating space-based technologies being inducted this year are LADARVision 4000 (LASIK eye surgery), the MedStar Medical/Health Monitoring System, Precision GPS (global positioning system) Software System and Multi-Junction (MJ) Space Solar Cells. Each brings to Earth a different life-enhancing benefit from space technology. Space Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Pulham says, "Our 2004 honorees represent space technologies that save lives, enable thousands of people to see better, power modern global telecommunications and make travel safer for millions. They are great examples of why what we do in space matters on Earth." The inducted technologies and innovators were honored at the 16th
Space Technology
Hall of Fame dinner, held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. The awards dinner, cosponsored by Boeing Co., was the capstone of the 20th National Space Symposium.
Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive officer, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, was the evening´s corporate host.
The Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, established the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor the innovators who have transformed space technology into commercial products, to increase public awareness of the benefits of space technology and to encourage further innovation.
Following are capsules of the four inductees in the Space Technology Hall of Fame for 2004.
LADARVision 4000
Fewer and fewer people now need eyeglasses or contact lenses, thanks
to laser vision-correction surgery. Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, or LASIK, is the most widely
performed surgical procedure. It
uses a laser and eye-tracking device
to reshape the cornea and is
based on technology used to
assist spacecraft in delicate
docking maneuvers. This
enables LASIK to provide
unmatched precision.
MedStar Monitoring System
The cost of caring for the chronically ill continues to grow. In-home care is part of the solution, and statistics show significant patient health improvements through closer in-home monitoring. Cybernet´s MedStar system, which evolved from research funded by NASA, the National Institute of Mental Health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency, allows healthcare professionals to remotely monitor their patients. This miniature physiological monitoring device, which also is used to monitor astronauts on the international space station, can collect and analyze a multitude of signals in real time.
Precision Global Positioning System (GPS) Software System
In 1985 NASA´s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) began developing software to determine the location of satellite orbits with pinpoint accuracy. This work led to the development of a sophisticated system that incorporates special GPS algorithms and now uses the Internet to deliver information enabling real-time positioning accurate to within a few inches anywhere in the world for terrestrial users and for space-borne users in low-Earth orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration has adopted JPL´s software in its GPS-based navigation system to improve safety for millions of air travelers. Multi-Junction (MJ) Space Solar Cells Responding to the need for higher-efficiency solar cells, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory sponsored research-and-development efforts to produce high-efficiency multi-junction (MJ) space solar cells. MJ solar-cell technology provides a direct replacement for lower- efficiency single-junction cells. The results are reduced costs for the life cycle of space missions, telecommunication, weather forecasting and many other services crucial to our daily lives on Earth.
For more information, contact Michael Braukus, Office of Public Affairs, NASA Headquarters, 202/358-1979.
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