National Aeronautics and Space Administration
THE INNOVATION CATALYST
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS OFFICE
NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2020
SPO HIGHLIGHTS GODDARD COLLABORATIONS IN NEW SERIES COLLABLAB Goddard’s Strategic Par tnerships Office (SPO) will
and are exploring ways to utilize the coating in conservation
launch a brand new speaker series focusing on Goddard
effor ts.
collaborations and technology transfer success stories. The first iteration of the series, scheduled to take place March 12 at 1:30 pm in the Goett Auditorium (Building 3), will focus on the unique collaboration between Nithin Abraham, a Goddard thermal coatings engineer, and Catharine Hawks, an objects conservator from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). In the Contamination and Coatings Engineering Branch (Code
“Contamination is an issue that reaches beyond space applications,” Abraham says. “At NASA we care about protecting our scientific instruments and satellites from outgassed contaminants – both during ground testing and in space. Similarly, NMNH focuses on protecting historical ar tifacts and specimens from off-gassed contaminants. There’s a commonality, and that’s why this collaboration is so exciting!”
546), Abraham specializes in the research and development of coatings technology and testing. Abraham and her team took par t in an effor t to study the efficacy of the patentpending Molecular Adsorber Coating (MAC), a sprayable porous substance made of zeolite that works to trap and contain contaminants. While the technology was developed in order to protect objects and components of spacecraft, Hawks saw its potential effectiveness in her own field of museum conservation. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but thought MAC had potential to address a par ticular issue we had with mercury vapor offgassing from our mercury ore collection,” Hawks says. “We really wanted to explore the technology, just to see if it could work for this or even other contaminants in our collection environments.” The Smithsonian is renowned for its work in the ar ts and humanities while NASA focuses on advancements and innovations in STEM fields. Despite these differences, the two institutions mutually benefited from MAC’s development
Portrait of NASA Thermal Coatings Engineer, Nithin Abraham, in a materials lab with her MAC panels: Chris Gunn/NASA Goddard
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020 “The talk is a great oppor tunity to hear about how MAC can be used to help protect cultural ar tifacts and natural science specimens in enclosed spaces at the Smithsonian museums,” says Technology Manager Dennis Small, a member of SPO’s team responsible for creating connections between Goddard innovators and industry leaders. Small played a vital role in establishing the par tnership between NASA and the Smithsonian’s NMNH.
NASA to find solutions that can be packaged for expor t to our suppliers.” The newly established CollabLab speaker series will highlight stories of innovation, par tnerships, and collaboration in an effor t to showcase how Goddard’s body of work can be repurposed to advance human knowledge and innovation in all areas and fields. It also will emphasize the impact of the Technology Transfer program at Goddard and other
When Hawks first heard about MAC, she reached out to
par tnership initiatives as well as celebrate the Goddard
Abraham to see if an agreement could be reached between
innovator community’s achievements. The series will
the two organizations. To establish such an agreement,
continue throughout 2020, and upcoming dates will be
Hawks and Abraham worked with SPO to explore their
featured in Dateline postings.
options. “This collaboration came to fruition through a Space Act Agreement (SAA) between NASA and NMNH,” Small says. “The SAA was the vehicle we used to create the par tnership. Essentially, the par tnership can be established through an SAA if there is mutual benefit for each of the par ties involved.” In this case, the Smithsonian sought to use MAC to minimize the amount of contamination the objects in their collection are regularly exposed to while Goddard used the oppor tunity to learn additional information about the technology’s effectiveness. “The outgassing of material in the vacuum of space was not even something I had considered prior to learning about MAC,” Hawks says. “We need collaborations like the one with
Below, NASA Thermal Coatings Engineer Nithin Abraham removes samples treated with a patent-pending adsorber from specimen-storage cabinets at the Smithsonian’s Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, a sprawling storage facility that holds more than 54 million collection items. Credits: NASA/Goddard/ Chris Gunn
For more information on this series, please call 301-2865810 or email techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov.
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020
Featured Goddard Technology: MERRA Analytic Services Businesses have leveraged the power of big data for years to
data for climate scientists and other groups who pull kernels of
gain more information about their customers. Look no further
interest from the mountainous towers of information. Recently,
than online retailers, who analyze their customers’ purchases
they have focused on one of NASA’s more interesting but less-
and browsing history to generate targeted advertisements.
well-known datasets: The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for
As companies collect vast amounts of data about the people
Research and Applications (MERRA).
who buy their products, analysts learn more about customer characteristics and behavior, painting detailed portraits that can inform business decisions.
At about a petabyte in size, the MERRA dataset is massive. It contains a global, hour-by-hour simulation of Earth’s weather over the past 40 years and contains hundreds of descriptive
For scientists at NASA, this boom in data storage and
variables such as wind direction and speed, temperature,
processing capabilities has unleashed a new way to answer
humidity, precipitation, sunlight, and cloud cover. MERRA is
questions about the physical world that previously went
produced by the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5
unanswered.
(GEOS-5) numerical modeling framework, a computer program
“If you take a look at the legislation that brought NASA into existence, there’s no mention of human spaceflight in the
which uses the decades of information NASA has accumulated to create this remarkably rich record of Earth’s climate.
original document,” says John Schnase, a computer scientist
To the average person, MERRA represents a crushing cascade
at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “However, there is
of numbers, but a patented technology called MERRA Analytic
language about using space as a platform for the scientific
Services (MERRA/AS) seeks to improve access and unleash
measurements and observations that allow us to look back on
treasure troves of Earth insights for scientists and CEOs alike.
Earth and understand our planet.”
Just last year, a new network of entrepreneurs and student
NASA has accumulated more than 40 years’ worth of detailed information about Earth, and just as companies use data to
innovators has licensed the technology to explore its application in the Caribbean tourism industry.
understand their customers, NASA uses data to figure out the
“Climate touches so many things in life, and any dataset that
complex rhythms of the world. It’s no small feat – NASA has
describes the complexities of climate over long periods of time
approximately 100 petabytes of data in its possession. For
inevitably is going to be very large,” Schnase says. “Unless you
context, a system with one petabyte of data storage could hold
have tools that allow you to pick out the parts of that data you
more than 250,000 movies. It would take about 57 years to
want and do it quickly, it is useless data. And that’s the problem
play them all back-to-back. It’s a little much, even for the most
we’re seeking to address.”
dedicated binge-watcher. Schnase and other computer scientists at Goddard are developing tools to improve access to NASA’s Earth science
The Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) is producing a comprehensive record of Earth’s weather and climate from 1979. This visualization depicts specific atmospheric humidity on June 17, 1993, during the Great Flood that hit the Midwestern United States. Visualization: Trent Schindler, NASA/Goddard/UMBC
For more of this story, stay tuned for the Winter 2020 edition of Tech Transfer magazine.
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020
Goddard Tech 12
Each month the Strategic Partnerships Office tells the story of successful spinoffs at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and shows how these technological breakthroughs are brought from the labs to our lives. To see the full series, click here.
Landsat Data Advances Science and the Agriculture Industry Since the 1970s, the Landsat program has collected spectral
Early on, GeoVisual developed an algorithm that could analyze
information from Earth’s surface, creating an archive of
Landsat images pixel by pixel and assign a vegetation index
scientifically valuable and awe-inspiring images. Landsat 8
number and land-cover classifications to each dot. The finished
launched in 2013 and captures 700 Earth images each day. The
algorithm, Computer Learning Imagery Platform (CLIP), is able
next iteration, Landsat 9, will continue the program’s mission
to take satellite or aircraft imagery and classify land types using
of understanding and managing the land resources needed
multispectral imagery.
to sustain human life. This ninth mission, with higher imaging capacity, allows for more valuable data to be added to the global
Goddard helped lay the groundwork for CLIP with satellite
land archive.
imagery, but in commercializing the algorithm, GeoVisual pivoted to higher-resolution imagery that can be achieved from aircraft
With Landsat technology, GeoVisual Analytics seeks to help
imaging. Taylor Farms, the world’s largest producer of fresh-cut
farmers reduce production uncertainties and increase profits by
vegetables, was the first customer to use CLIP. The software
monitoring fields with airplanes, satellites and mobile phones.
enabled monitoring of crop health and the stage of growth,
Through numerous SBIR contracts with Goddard and Stennis,
allowing Taylor Farms to predict yields throughout the season.
they are using a NASA-funded artificial intelligence algorithm to
In the near future GeoVisual is focused on becoming the leading
achieve that goal.
computer vision platform in the agriculture industry.
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020
Recent SPO Activities NASA COMMERCIALIZATION TRAINING CAMP On Feb. 12-14, the Strategic Partnerships Office helped facilitate the NASA Commercialization Training Camp at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Ten professional athletes with the National Football League Players Association participated in presentations, tours, panels, and one-on-one conversations about NASA technology. The training camp featured guest speakers who explained how athletes could infuse NASA innovations into an existing business or new startup idea. Guest speakers included Super Bowl champion, entrepreneur, and NASA technology licensee Femi Ayanbadejo, members of the Texas startup community, and other former NFL players who retired from football and started their own businesses. Attendees left the training camp with fresh insights about NASA technology and how it can help them create new products and services to address unmet needs in various markets that interest them.
Training camp participants and NASA personnel at the Johnson Space Center. Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center/Bill Stafford
25TH ANNUAL NEW TECHNOLOGY REPORTING PROGRAM
SPO hosted its annual celebration of Goddard innovators on Feb. 27 in the Building 8 Auditorium. The program highlights the Goddard innovator community’s contributions to NASA’s technology transfer activities. SPO presented Code 550 and Code 610 with traveling trophies for submitting the most New Technology Reports (NTRs) in the past fiscal year. SPO Chief Darryl Mitchell then awarded the James J. Kerley Award to Wanda Peters, Sharon Straka, Mark Hasegawa, and Kenneth O’Connor – the team responsible for inventing a Goddard technology called Lotus Coating. The Kerley Award, presented at Goddard since 1994, recognizes innovators who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to technology development and commercialization. James Kerley was a Goddard innovator with a passion for technology transfer, and the award bears his name to honor his memory. The program also included remarks from the Kerley family and from special guest speaker Obafemi Ayanbadajo, a NASA technology licensee and founder of HealthReel, Inc. At the end of the program, Goddard’s Office of Patent Counsel presented patent plaques to Goddard innovators who received patents for their technologies within the past fiscal year.
Matt McGill accepts the New Technology Reporting Award for Science on behalf of Code 610 for reporting the most NTRs in Code 600 during FY2019. Photo Credit NASA Goddard/Samantha Kilgore
Caption: Cynthia Simmons accepts the New Technology Reporting Award for Engineering on behalf of Code 550 for reporting the most NTRs in FY2019.
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020
Guess The Patent Drawing! here are your clues:
1
This invention was patented in 2012.
2
It’s being used in partnership with universities and other educational institutions.
3
It was invented by NASA innovators Geoff Bland and Ted Miles.
can you guess the invention? click here for the answer.
Tech Transfer Trivia
1
When did NASA first start printing Spinoff, an annual publication that highlights technology transfer success stories? A. 1969
B. 1972
C. 1976
D. 1980
2
True or false: inventors can be involved in the license negotiation process.
3
What does “SBIR” stand for?
A. True
B. False
A. Standard Business Innovation Routines B. Simply the Best Inventions on Record C. Starting Businesses In Robotics D. Small Business Innovation Research Link To Answers
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020
Upcoming Events GODDARD MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM Postponed - Check website for updates Tommy Douglas Conference Center, Silver Spring, MD SPO will participate in the annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium in Silver Spring to chat with members of the Goddard community and share information about how Goddard innovators can participate in the technology transfer process. The symposium’s theme this year is “Innovation and Sustainable Exploration.” Panel discussions include “Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons: Commercialization for Sustainability.” For the full list of events and registration, visit the American Astronautical Society’s website.
CAFETERIA MEET AND GREET March 26, 2020 Building 1 Cafeteria 11 am to 1 pm Spend your lunch break with SPO! On March 26, we’ll be in the Building 1 cafeteria handing out information on NASA’s technology transfer efforts and how you can participate in the process. You can ask questions about NTRs or software release, learn more about Goddard’s Technology Transfer Office, and get involved with Goddard’s Master Innovator Program. Come by and see us!
TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING April 21, 2020 Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA Join SPO leadership for a presentation about the Technology Transfer Program at Goddard and how you can interact with our office to further your research and leadership objectives. SPO will be sharing information along with other presenters as part of the annual Technical Manager’s Training.