The NASA Glenn Research Center’s unique atomic oxygen testing facilities were highlighted in NASA’s Technology Innovation Magazine for Business and Technology (Volume 15, Number 2, 209). The two-page article (written by Laurel Stauber, Cindy Dreibelbis of GRC and Nancy Oates of Fuentek, LLC), discusses the space and spinoff applications of the uniquely large GRC atomic oxygen facilities.
The article discusses how testing in the facilities by Bruce Banks and Sharon Miller has helped the commercial remote sensing industry and also how their testing also resulted in more than a $15 billion savings to NASA by enabling full mission durability of the International Space Station (ISS) solar array blankets. The research for ISS, published in over 70 papers, and the magnitude of the cost savings, resulted in GRC’s largest Space Act Award.
The article also described how other uses of the atomic oxygen facilities have resulted in technology applications for durability of mirrors and composite materials, atomic oxygen art restoration, improved cell adhesion, and removal of endotoxins from surgical implants. This work is supported by the NASA GRC Technology Transfer and Partnership Office.
