NASA News: NASA Spinoff 2011 Unveils Benefits of NASA Technologies on Earth

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Spinoff 2011 publication, now available online,
reveals how the space agency's ingenuity and partnerships have saved
thousands of lives, generated billions of dollars, and created
thousands of American jobs.

The latest edition of Spinoff records 44 journeys of NASA's most
innovative technologies. It chronicles their origins in NASA missions
and programs and their transfer to the public in the form of
practical commercial products and benefits to society.

"This year's Spinoff demonstrates once again how through productive
and innovative partnerships, NASA's aerospace research brings real
returns to the American people in the form of tangible products,
services and new jobs," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "For
35 years, Spinoff has been the definitive resource for those who want
to learn how space exploration benefits life on Earth."

NASA spinoffs have proven benefits in health and medicine,
transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and the
environment, information technology, and industrial productivity,
stimulating the economy and creating new jobs and businesses.

In Spinoff 2011, readers can discover:
- A new firefighting system, influenced by a NASA-derived rocket
design that extinguishes fires more quickly than traditional systems,
saving lives and property.
- Software employing NASA-invented tools to help commercial
airlines fly shorter routes and help save millions of gallons of fuel
each year, reducing costs to airlines while benefiting the
environment.
- A fitness monitoring technology developed with the help of NASA
expertise that, when fitted in a strap or shirt, can be used to
measure and record vital signs. The technology is now in use to
monitor the health of professional athletes and members of the armed
services.
- An emergency response software tool that can capture, analyze and
combine data into maps, charts and other information essential to
disaster managers responding to events such as wildfires, floods or
Earthquakes. This technology can save millions of dollars in losses
from disasters and, more importantly, can help save lives when
tragedy strikes.

This year's Spinoff includes a special section to celebrate the
commercial technologies that resulted from NASA's 30-year Space
Shuttle Program. Also featured are spinoffs that have come from the
construction of the International Space Station and work aboard the
orbiting outpost. An additional section discusses the potential
benefits of NASA's future technology investments.

"NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist has more than a thousand
projects underway that will create new knowledge and capabilities,
enabling NASA's future missions," NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck
said. "As these investments mature, we can expect new, exciting
spinoff technologies transferring from NASA to the marketplace,
providing real returns on our investments in innovation."

Spinoff 2011 includes features about NASA's aeronautics and space
research; award-winning technologies; diverse partnerships; and
support for science, technology, engineering, and math education. The
publication also provides reference and resource information about NASA.

Spinoff 2011 is available online at:

http://spinoff.nasa.gov

An archive of Spinoff features and a searchable database of more than
1,750 NASA-derived technologies featured in past issues of the
publication also are available at the Spinoff site.

To access an interactive feature about how NASA impacts your daily
life, visit the NASA Home and City website at:

http://www.nasa.gov/city

For more information about NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oct

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Astronaut Don Pettit Shares Passion for Science from Space

HOUSTON -- NASA and the American Physical Society (APS) have begun a
partnership to share videos from the International Space Station with
students, educators and science fans around the world. NASA astronaut
Don Pettit, currently on the orbiting outpost as a member of the
Expedition 30 crew, will use everyday objects from Earth to
demonstrate physics through "Science off the Sphere" presentations.

Space fans know Pettit from his previous science demonstrations
performed in space, such as the "Zero G Coffee Cup" from the space
shuttle's STS-126 mission in 2008. This time he has added a physics
challenge for viewers. Some episodes of "Science off the Sphere" will
end with a question. APS will review the responses and identify a
winner. Pettit will announce the winner from aboard the station.

APS, the professional society for physicists, plans to ignite interest
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by sharing the
"Science off the Sphere" videos on its outreach website, Physics
Central. The website also will feature the physics challenges and
educational content on topics Pettit demonstrates.

Pettit spent more than five and half months on board the station
during Expedition 6 in 2002 and 2003. He returned to space during
STS-126. Most recently, Pettit launched to the orbiting laboratory
Dec. 23 with Russian Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko and European
Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers. The crew joined
Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and Russian Flight
Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, who have been on
the station since Nov. 16.

Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers will remain on the station until May as
members of the Expedition 31 crew. The crew members will support
dozens of experiments during their time aboard the station.

To view Pettit's science experiments performed during Expedition 6, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/spacechronicles

To view Pettit's "Zero G Coffee Cup" video from STS-126, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/pettitcoffee

For more information about the International Space Station and its
crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

To view APS' Physics Central website, visit:

http://www.physicscentral.com/sots

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