Space Awareness


The President Wants YOU to know about Space Technology

Written by: developer

Election season is upon us and whether you support the Republican, Democratic or a third party, there is one thing we can all agree on — the work done in space, benefits all parties here on Earth. In the late 1980’s the Space Foundation teamed up with former U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to discuss the Earthly benefits of space.

The former heads of state discuss the use of satellites in uniting the population of our world. Thanks to satellites, people around the globe may communicate with one another from the comfort of their own homes. We can share in experiences around the world and use these communications to educate, entertain and inform us.

You can watch the presidents’ PSA here.

Nearly 30 years after the creation of this PSA, one can imagine the further developments made in the Earthly uses of technology designed for space. In the video, President Carter and President Ford refer to the use of space technology in the diagnosis of heart disease and cancer, the generation of energy and pollution control.

Here are a few of the technologies inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame®, now celebrating 30 years of space tech benefits on Earth.

Technologies that diagnose heart disease and detect and diagnose cancer: Excimer Laser Angioplasty System (1994) and ArterioVision (2008), Stereotactic Breast Biopsy technology (1997), VisiScreen Ocular Screening System, 2003, InnerVue Diagnostic Scope System (2005), distant Doc and MedRecorder (2013)

Space technologies used to generate energy include Power Factor Controller (1998), Heat Pipe Systems (1990), Radiant Barrier (1996), Multi-Junction (MJ) Solar cells (2004)

Controlling pollution thanks to space tech: Sewage Treatment with Water Hyacinths (1988), Digital Latching Valve (2003), NanoCeram Superfilters (2005), Microbial Check Valve (2007), Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron (2007), Petroleum Remediation Product (2008).

Learn more about each of these technologies and the Space Technology Hall of Fame here.

This article is part of Space Watch: November 2016 (Volume: 15, Issue: 11).


Posted in Space Awareness