A MESSAGE FROM NASA
UPFRONT WITH . . .
Nona Minnifield Cheeks
Chief, Innovative Partnerships Program
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
James Joyce once wrote, “A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” Like many others working in scientific research and development, I believe this to be true. Part of what makes a person successful in research—and, indeed, in life—is viewing a “mistake” as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, to grow and in some cases, to make a discovery that can change our understanding of the world. Making the most of unexpected opportunities is part of the entrepreneurial spirit at NASA. This is readily observed by studying some examples from a single NASA center: Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md.
A mathematical error was the starting point for an award-winning discovery by Dr. Norden Huang, who recently received the prestigious Service to America Medal. As part of his research in oceanography, Huang stumbled upon a new way to analyze signals from naturally occurring phenomenon. Called “one of the most important discoveries in the field of applied mathematics in NASA history,” the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) technology enables a better understanding of naturally occurring phenomena.
Goddard also was the breeding ground for one of this year’s R&D 100 Awards: the Conformal Gripper, developed by John Vranish, a retired NASA researcher. This innovation—which gently conforms to any object’s shape then locks into position for an extremely secure yet gentle hold—is poised to revolutionize robotics. By eliminating the need for multiple, specialized grippers, this tool can make robots used in space missions lighter and less complicated as well as offer benefits to manufacturing and medical surgeries.
But most exciting is Goddard’s Dr. John C. Mather, who received the 100th Nobel Prize in physics along with George Smoot of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The prize was given for their collaborative work on understanding the Big Bang theory of the universe and the origin of stars and galaxies. That work was conducted as part of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)—a satellite built entirely at GSFC.
These honors and the countless others received by researchers at Goddard—as well as across the Agency—are only part of what makes NASA an ideal partner for conducting collaborative research. At Goddard, for instance, our award-winning personnel are working in unique facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, such as the Detector Development Laboratory (see Page 30). This facility and others of its kind allow industry, academia and government organizations to benefit from the nation’s investment in the space program.
The return on that investment also is embodied in our innovative technologies. Beyond the award-winning HHT and Conformal Gripper mentioned above, as well as the technologies described in this edition’s Opportunity for Partnership, Goddard is leading the way in cutting-edge technologies. These innovations not only benefit the space program, but also can accelerate developments in medicine, energy, transportation, the environment, manufacturing, telecommunications, consumer products and more.
As we pursue our journey to evolve innovative technologies, join NASA in our search for portals of discovery that push the frontiers in space and on Earth. You can start by contacting Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program office to find out where your journey aligns with ours.
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