Spinoff 2008 Highlights NASA Innovations in Everyday Life

The 2008 edition of NASA's annual Spinoff publication celebrates the agency's 50th anniversary and highlights 50 new examples of how NASA technology is being put to use in everyday life. This anniversary edition features a 50-year timeline of NASA-derived technologies from historical programs and projects, and a summary of award-winning NASA technologies included in Spinoff over the years.

Spinoff 2008 lists many of the latest NASA innovations now in the commercial marketplace. These innovations have resulted in healthcare advances, transportation breakthroughs, public safety benefits, new consumer goods, environmental protection, computer technology and industrial productivity, the space agency says.

"The results of NASA research and technology are all around us, providing benefits to many aspects of our daily lives and well-being," says NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale.

Several examples of these benefits are described in Spinoff 2008, including:

- Advanced polymer coatings for implantable devices to help avert heart failure
- Robotic technology used for minimally invasive knee surgery
- Space suit-derived textiles to help protect firefighters and race car drivers
- Drag reduction research applied to record-breaking swimsuit development
- Astronaut food supplements in worldwide use to improve baby formula
- Carbon nanomesh technology applied to filtering safe drinking water
- Rocket engine valve technology reducing emissions for power generation.

Spinoff 2008 also profiles NASA research and development activities, education efforts, and partnership successes. The publication provides reference information and resources available through the agency's Innovative Partnerships Program.

NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program produces the NASA Spinoff series. The program fosters technology partnerships, commercialization and innovation in support of NASA's overall mission and national priorities, NASA says.

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Businessman Sentenced For Supplying Indian Government With Controlled Technology

Parthasarathy Sudarshan, 47, the owner of an international electronics business, was sentenced
in the District of Columbia to 35 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to illegally export controlled electronic components to government entities in India that participate in the development of ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles, and fighter jets.

That's according to federal law enforcement officials.

On March 13, Sudarshan, a resident of Simpsonville, S.C., pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the felony charge of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Administration Regulations; and to violate the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Sudarshan was sentenced today by the Honorable Ricardo Urbina.

According to court documents filed by the government, Sudarshan did business as Cirrus Electronics and held himself out to be Cirrus' CEO, Managing Director, and President and Group Head. Cirrus has offices in Simpsonville, South Carolina, Singapore, and Bangalore, India.
Among the recipients of U.S. technology in this case were the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), an enterprise within the Department of Space of the Government of India, and Bharat Dynamics, Ltd. (BDL), an enterprise within the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India.

The U.S. government has determined that VSSC participates in India's space launch vehicle program and that BDL participates in India's development and production of ballistic missiles. As such, both VSSC and BDL are on the Department of Commerce's Entity List and exports of
U.S.-origin commodities to these entities are restricted and require prior authorization in the form of a license from the Department of Commerce.

Between 2002 and 2006, Sudarshan acquired electrical components with applications in missile guidance and firing systems in the United States for VSSC and BDL. In particular, in the case of at least two U.S. vendors, Sudarshan and others at Cirrus provided the U.S. companies with fraudulent certificates that claimed that the end-users of these electrical components
were non-restricted entities in India, when, in fact, the items were for VSSC. There were no export licenses for any of the shipments to VSSC and BDL. To further conceal from the U.S. government that goods were going to entities in India on the Department of Commerce Entity List, Sudarshan would route the products through its Singapore office and then send the
packages on to India.

In addition to supplying VSSC and BDL with components, Sudarshan acquired microprocessors for the Tejas, a fighter jet under development in India. The microprocessors were necessary for the navigation and weapons systems of the Tejas. Because the microprocessors are on the U.S. Munitions List, the State Department must license any export of the products. On two
occasions in 2004 and 2006, Cirrus caused the shipment of a total of 500 microprocessors to the Aeronautical Development Establishment, an enterprise within the Ministry of Defence of the government of India responsible for the development of the Tejas. There were no licenses for
these shipments.

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NASA Selects 9 Small Business Technology Transfer Projects

NASA has selected nine proposals for negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards in the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. The selected projects have a total value of approximately $5.4 million. The contracts will be awarded to nine high-tech firms partnered with nine universities in 12 states.

The STTR program is a highly competitive, three-phase award system. It provides qualified small businesses -- including women-owned and disadvantaged firms -- with opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and development needs of the federal government. In addition, the STTR program requires a collaborative research effort between small business and research institutions, NASA says.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) manages the STTR program for the federal government. NASA is one of the federal agencies required by the STTR program to reserve a portion of its research and development funds for awards to small business and works closely with SBA to ensure compliance with federal regulations, NASA says.

NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) manages the STTR program as part of its focus on emerging technologies and efforts to advance technological innovation for NASA purposes. NASA also partners with U.S. industry to introduce pioneering technologies into NASA missions and transition them into commercially available products and services.

As an investment opportunity, STTR innovations address specific technology gaps in agency mission programs, provide a foundation for future technology needs, and are complementary to other NASA research investments.

Participating firms and research institutions submitted 25 Phase 2 proposals. The criteria used to select the winning proposals included technical merit and innovation, Phase 1 results, value to NASA, commercial potential, and company capabilities, NASA says.

Phase 1 was feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are for up to twelve months in amounts up to $100,000. Phase 2 expands on the results of the development in Phase 1. Awards are for up to two years in amounts up to $600,000. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-STTR federal funding. These NASA awards are for the second-phase in this competitive process.
Some examples of STTR technologies being pursued in current selected proposals include:

• New photovoltaic power systems capable of operating in harsh environments with high temperature and extreme radiation exposures. These systems use materials developed for short optical wavelength and high radio frequency power applications. The new systems could be used in power systems for exploratory spacecraft.
• Optically-based sensors for making temperature and other complex measurements in propulsion systems in ground and flight test environments. The sensors could be used in both new and retrofit commercial aircraft as control sensors for propulsion systems.

NASA's STTR program is managed at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., with executive oversight from NASA headquarters in Washington. Individual projects are managed by NASA's field centers.

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NASA Selects 38 Partnerships to Advance Key Technologies

NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program Seed Fund has announced the selection of 38
partnerships that will advance key technologies to meet critical needs for NASA's mission. These Seed Fund projects will address technology barriers with cost-shared, joint-development programs.

The partnerships span 30 states and include nine universities, 23 small to medium-sized businesses, 17 large corporations and participation by all 10 NASA field centers.

For a complete list of selected organizations and information about NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program Seed Fund, see this page.

The one-year projects will involve collaboration among three principal partners: a NASA partnership manager at a field center; a co-principal investigator within a NASA program or project office; and an external co-principal investigator from the private sector, academia or other government laboratory.

Examples of selected partnership research areas include the pursuit of improved engine performance and reduced emissions in support of NASA aeronautics research; high-temperature materials for lunar lander engines to support NASA's exploration goals to return to the moon; optics to lower error rates of future space telescopes to support agency science technology needs; and a glass bubble insulation demonstration for cryogenic tanks of interest to NASA's space operations team.

An important element of the fund is the leveraging of financial resources because of contributions from all three partners. NASA's Innovative Partnership Program at NASA headquarters in Washington is contributing $9 million in funding from its Technology Transfer Partnerships budget, $13 million is being provided by NASA sources in programs, projects, or field centers, and $12 million from external partners for a total combined financial commitment of $34 million.

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