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Mike Johnson, a former technician at Johnson Space Center, drew on his expertise as a wastewater engineer to create a line of kombucha-based probiotic drinks. He founded a company that has now sold more than 6 million units of the NASA-inspired beverage and employs 12 people.
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Because an airplane must be snow- and ice-free to fly safely, researchers at Ames Research Center devised a solution that prevented ice from sticking to a surface. After licensing the technology for use in anti-icing products for train tracks and switches, the products are now increasing this company’s revenue by $300,000-$600,000 a year.
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To allow inspectors to scan the space shuttle’s hydrogen fuel systems from a safe distance, Kennedy Space Center engineers developed a long-range attachment for an ultrasonic detector. A business licensed the NASA invention to allow workers to safely and accurately pinpoint leaks in factories and other industrial settings, and is providing savings in the millions of dollars.
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Phase change materials (PCMs) were one of the technologies NASA used to help astronauts maintain a “just right” temperature in their space gloves. A large apparel company recently released a line of men’s and women’s undergarments incorporating the NASA technology.
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Partnering with Goddard Space Flight Center through the SBIR program, a company created modular radiometer instruments that allow scientists to customize the technology for their research. Thanks to its NASA collaboration, the company has garnered more than $2 million in contracts, and the spinoff is being used to monitor the planet’s oceans, climate change, and more.
