Report from Headquarters
Space Technology Hall of Fame® Deadline: August 10
Written by: developer
Nominate yourself or someone else for induction into the prestigious Space Technology Hall of Fame® in 2010. The program honors innovations by organizations and individuals who transform space technology into commercial products that improve life on Earth. Nomination information, including online and downloadable nomination forms, is here.
The deadline is August 10 and anyone may submit a nomination of a technology that was developed for space and then modified or adopted for use on Earth.
The Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, established the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988 to increase public awareness of the benefits that result from space exploration programs and to encourage further innovation. Since that time, 61 technologies have been inducted.
Inducted technologies include energy-saving technologies, life-saving medical devices, health improvement technologies, satellite and telecommunication technologies, and practical commercial devices. Some noteworthy examples are the automatic external defibrillator; non-invasive breast biopsy technology; MRI and CAT scan imaging; anti-shock garments; LASIK eye surgery; implantable pacemakers and hearing aids; and technologies that power cellular phones, terrestrial networks, and satellite broadcast television and radio communications. The 2009 inductees were a life-saving food supplement derived from algae and space shuttle-based aerodynamic vehicle design that has revolutionized large trucks.
Each nomination is reviewed for completeness, assessed by technical experts, and then ranked by a prestigious panel of judges who look at economic benefit, public awareness, societal benefit, longevity, and public/private/partnership investment. Award ceremonies for the 2010 inductees and honorees will be part of the 26th National Space Symposium, which will be held at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 12 – 15, 2010. Conducted by the Space Foundation, the symposium is the premier annual gathering of the global space community.
Additional information about the Space Technology Hall of Fame, including a complete list of inducted technologies, is available here.
This article is part of Space Watch: August 2009 (Volume: 8, Issue: 8).