Space Technology Hall of Fame Inductees
The Space Technology Hall of Fame® comprises many extraordinary innovations — all derived from or significantly improved by space research or exploration. To nominate a technology, please visit our Nominate a Technology page to learn more about the Space Technology Hall of Fame® selection criteria.
Search Filters:
Nations throughout the world have a need for low-cost, easy to use demining devices to disarm the millions of landmines deployed in widely scattered locations. Though it is possible to render landmines safe through remote detonation or behind armored plating, these methods are expensive and difficult. The Navy and DE Technologies Inc. theorized that landmines…
Read More
NASA requires efficient and lightweight valves for controlling thrusters in spacecrafts. While at Bell Aerospace in the 1960s, Eddie Sturman developed a very efficient valve control actuator that consumed little energy. His work resulted in five patents and systems extensively used in the space program and probably was one of the energy-saving factors that enabled…
Read More
In 1977, Adam Kissiah, Jr., a hearing-impaired engineer working at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), patented technology that has been used in digital implantable hearing aids. He developed the technology using the skills and knowledge of electronic sensing systems, telemetry, and sounds and vibrations sensors he acquired during his work on the Space Shuttle…
Read More
In 1985 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) began developing software to determine satellite orbits with pinpoint accuracy. This work led to the development of a sophisticated system that incorporates special GPS algorithms and now uses the Internet to deliver information enabling real-time positioning accurate to a few inches anywhere in the world for terrestrial users…
Read More
Responding to the need for higher efficiency solar cells, the Air Force Research Laboratory sponsored research and development efforts to produce high efficiency multi-junction space solar cells. MJ solar cell technology provides a direct replacement for lower efficiency single-junction cells. The end results are reduced space mission life-cycle costs, reduced customer costs for telecommunication, weather…
Read MoreThe cost of caring for the chronically ill continues to grow. In-home care is part of the solution, and statistics show significant patient health improvements through closer in-home monitoring. Cybernet’s MedStar™ System allows health care professionals to remotely monitor patients, and evolved from research funded by NASA, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the…
Read More
More and more people are now leading lives without eyeglasses or contact lenses thanks to laser vision correction surgery. Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis or LASIK, the most common form of laser vision correction is the most widely performed, elective procedure. The LADARVision(R) 4000 laser uses an eye-tracking device to ensure accurate reshaping of the cornea.…
Read More
Based on technology developed to protect astronauts against extreme temperature fluctuations in space, Outlast Smart Fabric Technology fibers, fabrics and foams contain micro encapsulated phase change materials called Thermocules that absorb, store and release heat. This patented technology is used in a range of consumer products such as active wear to provide a more comfortably…
Read MoreThe demand for safe water is growing as consumers become more aware of waterborne pathogens. Thanks to cooperative efforts with NASA to develop advanced water recovery systems for long duration space flights, NanoCeram filters far exceed current filtration systems to satisfy the most difficult water treatment requirements. A variety of filter configurations, including pleated and…
Read MoreNASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has given the world amazing images of the distant stars, planets, and galaxies. The cutting edge imaging technology that enhances the Hubble images also extends its benefits to life here on Earth, from deciphering previously unreadable portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls to improving digital mammography for advanced cancer detection. This…
Read More