Space Technology Hall of Fame
Induction Year 2023
Syncom – Geostationary Satellite Communications
In 1961, NASA awarded a $4 million contract to the Hughes Aircraft Company to design and build the first geostationary satellites. The three satellites, known as Syncom 1, 2, and 3, were individually launched in 1963 and early 1964, and remained active until 1966. The success of this program proved that geostationary satellites –…
Nature’s Fynd and Liquid-Air Interface Fermentation
Nature’s Fynd is a food company currently producing commercial meat and dairy substitute products. The protein-rich food is produced from a microbe originally discovered in geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park. Researcher Dr. Mark Kozubal discovered this fungal microbe while working on a NASA-supported study. This extraordinary microbe was named Fusarium strain flavolapis. The…
NASGRO
NASGRO is a software analysis tool that was originally developed by NASA over forty years ago. In 2000, NASA entered into a Space Act Agreement with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) with the goal of turning the system into a significant commercial product. That agreement is still in place, and NASA and SwRI continue…