Space Foundation Names 2008 Space Technology Hall of Fame Honorees

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 27, 2008) — Three remarkable technologies have been selected for induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame® on its 20th anniversary, the Space Foundation announced today.  ArterioVision software, ResQPOD non-invasive medical device, and Petroleum Remediation Product (PRP) were selected by a prestigious panel of judges as the 2008 inductees.  The organizations and individuals who developed and adapted these important and innovative technologies will be recognized at ceremonies on April 10 at the 24th National Space Symposium.  The premier annual gathering of the global space community, the symposium will take place April 7-10 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

The Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, established the Space Technology Hall of Fame® in 1988 to increase public awareness of the benefits resulting from space exploration programs and to encourage further innovation.   Each year the Space Foundation recognizes unique and valuable products that originated with space technology. 

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2008, to date, the Space Technology Hall of Fame® has inducted 56 technologies as well as honoring the organizations and individuals who transformed space technology into commercial products that improve the quality of life for all humanity.

ArtieroVision software is a diagnostic tool that is used in conjunction with a standard ultrasound to precisely measure the thickness of the two inner layers of the carotid artery.  Arterial thickening can provide the earliest evidence of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Initially developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through its innovative partnership program, this technology is derived from the Video Imaging Communication and Retrieval software used to process pictures from spacecraft imagery. ArtieroVision allows doctors to measure the carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) to determine the age and health of a patient’s arteries and better predict and prevent their risk for heart disease and stroke. 

The ArterioVision CIMT procedure is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.  Medical Technologies International, Inc., Palm Desert, Calif., the company that patented the software, will be inducted for ArterioVision along with JPL,  Pasadena, Calif., and the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine — Atherosclerosis Research Unit.

ResQPOD is a non-invasive medical device that improves cardiac output and blood flow to the brain compared to conventional resuscitation techniques.  Developed through a collaborative research effort between Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the United States Army, and private industry, this device is used to help astronauts reacquaint with the feeling of gravity by quickly and effectively increasing the circulation of blood flow to the brain. 

ResQPOD is used by emergency medical services and hospitals across the country for patients suffering orthostatic intolerance (breathing problems) and cardiac arrest or other conditions attributed to low blood pressure.  It works by increasing blood flow to the heart and brain until the heart can be restarted, which is critical to improving survival rates with normal neurological function. The United States military also uses ResQPOD on the battlefield to reduce intracranial pressure resulting from head trauma injuries. Advanced Circulatory Systems, Minneapolis, Minn., and KSC Biomedical Lab, Cape Canaveral, Fla., will be inducted as the innovating organizations behind ResQPOD technology.

Petroleum Remediation Product (PRP) is a technology that safely and permanently removes petroleum-based pollutants from water. The delivery system of this water treatment process grew out of NASA biological encapsulation research and experimentation in the orbital production of microspheres.  PRP uses microcapsules, tiny balls of beeswax with hollow centers, which absorb and bind with petroleum or other hydrocarbon products.  The microspheres then serve as nutrients to assist naturally occurring microbes in soil or water to biodegrade contaminates. Universal Remediation, Inc., Pittsburg, Pa., the inductee organization for RPR, has developed a number of customized products using RPR technology to treat environmental contaminants from small boating spills to preventing ground water contamination at petroleum storage facilities. 

The individuals within the inductee organizations whose contributions made these important, innovative, and life-improving technologies a reality, will also be recognized. This year, nine individuals will be inducted and one will receive a commendation for their work. The Space Technology Hall of Fame® honorees will be recognized at the 24th National Space Symposium in a private induction ceremony, co-sponsored by Cisco Systems, and at the Space Technology Hall of Fame® dinner, co-sponsored by Space Florida. 

A complete list of all Space Technology Hall of Fame inducted technologies, organizations, and individuals can be found online at www.SpaceTechHallofFame.org.

The symposium brings together all sectors of space — civil, commercial, and national security – to highlight the accomplishments and address the opportunities and issues facing the space industry today. More than 7,500 registrants, guests, speakers, exhibitors, and media from across the United States and many foreign countries are expected to attend the 24th National Space Symposium.  Participants, who represent both the history and future of this $220 billion industry, include senior executive leadership from NASA, NOAA, and other civil space and government agencies; the commercial space and satellite broadcasting industry; the Department of Defense and military space commands; space entrepreneurs; universities and academia; and senior representatives from the global space industry.

Highlights of the 24th National Space Symposium include an extensive exhibit center representing more than 140 organizations and companies co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin; a spectacular Opening Ceremony, co-sponsored by United Space Alliance; Opening Night Fireworks and Dessert Reception, co-sponsored by Raytheon; the Corporate Partnership Dinner, co-sponsored by Northrop Grumman; and the presentation of the Space Foundation’s highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, at a luncheon co-sponsored by Boeing.

Additional co-sponsors of the symposium are AMERICOM Government Services, Analytical Graphics, Inc., ATK, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Cisco Systems, CSP Associates, Harris Corporation, Hitachi Consulting, Honeywell, Infinite Links, Intelsat General, ITT, Perot Systems Government Services, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Stellar Solutions. Media partners for the 24th National Space Symposium are Aviation Week, Space News, and Via Satellite. Frontier Airlines is the official airline of the conference.

Online registration and more information, including an updated program agenda, confirmed speaker list, and exhibitor list, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity.  A leader in space awareness activities, major industry events, and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom, the Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo.  It conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office, and has field representatives in Houston and Cape Canaveral, Fla.  Along with partnering organizations, the Space Foundation also conducts Strategic Space and Defense 2008, scheduled 6-8 October in Omaha, Neb.  For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.