A quarterly electronic publication from the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program

March 1999

NCTP Overview

Spinoff

Recent Spinoff Developments

in the News

* NASA Commercial

Technology

NASA in the News

NASA Headquarters

Space Exploration

NASA History Office

...From the STI Lead Center

STI Program Plan

...From JSC

...From Lewis

 NASA STI News Other NASA News NCT Program *

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HelpDesk

How to Order

NASA STI

STI Fact Sheets

Back Issues

RECONplus

Training

Spinoff

NASA

Commercial Technology

Network (NCTN)

STI Homepage

Feedback/ Comments
...From the STI Lead Center at Langley

NATO AGARD and DRG Organizations Renamed

The NATO AGARD and DRG organizations have been restructured under the name Research Technology Organization (RTO). The RTO

produces a number of different technical publications, including AGARDographs, meeting proceedings, lecture and course notes, technical

reports, and technical memoranda. In the past, many people were on a standard mailing list for some or all of these publications. The U.S.

Delegation to the NATO Research and Technology Organization is currently updating the mailing lists for U.S. recipients of these NATO RTO

publications (formerly recipients of AGARD and DRG publications).

Recipients of the former AGARD publications, who are interested in remaining on NATO's RTO distribution lists, must contact Ms. Gail

Herbig of the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information at (301) 621-0333, or may send an e-mail to helpdesk@sti.nasa.gov.

To learn more about the NATO Research Technology Organization, visit the following URL: http://www.nato.int/structur/rto/rto.htm. To view

the latest AGARD/RTO citations and abstracts of documents available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, go to

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/Pubs/Agard/Agard.html.

NIX Grants

Monies have been awarded to the following centers for specific projects to improve the NASA Image Exchange (NIX) in 1999:

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field (formerly the Lewis Research Center--see announcement) for development and

maintenance of a NIX mirror site.

Marshall Space Flight Center for addition of QuickTimeTM videos, still images for the Propulsion Gallery of NIX, images from

Technology Transfer, and additional browse categories.

Johnson Space Center for addition of high-resolution images and other low-resolution images on manned spaceflight programs from

Mercury to the Space Shuttle.

Goddard Space Flight Center (technical grant) for installing WAIS protocol and to develop methods for linking additional Goddard

databases to NIX.

To learn more about NIX and its collection of images, go to http://nix.nasa.gov.

International STI

Three Japanese officials from the National Space Development Agency's (NASDA's) Technical Information Division recently visited the NASA

Center for AeroSpace Information to attend a meeting, held in support of the exchange agreement between the STI programs of NASA and

NASDA. The NASDA representatives gave a demonstration of their AIREX database--an aerospace information database heavily composed of

NASA research materials. For more information, contact either Roland Ridgeway at rridgeway@hq.nasa.gov or George Roncaglia at

g.j.roncaglia@larc.nasa.gov.

Other international STI news: The Belgian von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics is holding two symposia in March. The first series of

lectures will take place from March 8 through March 12, concerning research in computational fluid dynamics. The second symposium will be

held from March 22 through March 26, addressing research in turbulent combustion. For more information on these lecture series, visit the von

Karman Institute's website at http://www.vki.ac.be.

HOME Continued
A New Look for the STI Home Page

The STI Program, through its product development team's efforts, is developing segmented homepages for the NASA-only and the non-NASA

audiences, with the goal of delivering tailored products and services. The new NASA websites are expected to be online in Spring 1999. Access

will be possible at the current URL: http://www.sti.nasa.gov. For more information, contact Lynn Heimerl at n.l.heimerl@larc.nasa.gov.

Beta-Test of NASA/SP-7602: "NASA Publications Guide for Authors"

The STI Program's Publications Policy Review Committee (PPRC), has recently beta-tested new documentation and guidance, intended to give

information and guidelines to NASA authors for publishing their NASA STI. The beta-test has been conducted with both new and experienced

authors at all ten NASA centers. Comments on the document are being reviewed by the PPRC, in order to finalize and then publish the SP. The

final beta-test draft is available at http://stipo.larc.nasa.gov/pprcweb/SP7602/index.htm. For more information, you may contact either of the

two co-chairpersons of the PPRC beta-test, at hsmcdona@ems.jsc.nasa.gov or Joyce.E.Turner@msfc.nasa.gov, or you may contact Lynn

Heimerl of the STI Program Office at n.l.heimerl@larc.nasa.gov.

SYSTRAN Machine Translation Now Available NASA-Wide

The SYSTRAN machine translation (MT) program, developed by the U.S. Air Force, is now available on the NASA STI homepage to NASA

personnel and contractors who possess the nasa.gov domain. The languages available for translation into English are Chinese, French,

German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, and Spanish. Although there are other versions of SYSTRAN

available on the Internet, the software available to NASA employees and contractors offers more technical terms, in a wider range of technical

dictionaries related to chemistry, computer technology, electronics, engineering, aviation, and aerospace. NASA domain users may access this

software at the NASA STI Program website at http://www.sti.nasa.gov. For more information on SYSTRAN, contact the STI Help Desk at

helpdesk@sti.nasa.gov.

Recent Additions to the STI Database

The most recent additions to the NASA STI Database include nine videos of the STS-95 mission. Through these videotapes, the public can

share John Glenn's latest experiences in space, as well as those of the other crewmembers. Abstracts for each day's videotapes may be found in

the database, see document numbers: 19990008756, 19990008755, 19990008754, 19990008752, 19990008751, 19990008750, 19990008749,

19990008748, and 19990008745. Access to database via RECONplus can be obtained at http://www.sti.nasa.gov/reconplus/RECONplus.html.

For more information concerning the STI Program, please contact Roland Ridgeway at rridgeway@hq.nasa.gov or George Roncaglia at

g.j.roncaglia@larc.nasa.gov.

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...STI Program Plan

In part, the NASA STI Program Plan states, "The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program is

an integral part of NASA's future. The program supports the Agency's missions to communicate scientific

knowledge and understanding and to help transfer NASA's research and development to the aerospace and

academic communities... By ensuring a fast, two-way process of internal and external information exchange,

the STI Program helps NASA avoid duplication of research, time, and cost and to make its wealth of

information available to benefit its customers... Each Center is responsible for acquiring, tracking, and

producing or having produced NASA STI related to their Center mission; and for ensuring that Center STI

reaches the STI Database [at the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information]".

To that end, each NASA Center executes the STI Program mission and objectives by way of a team of

individuals that applies professional publishing standards to all scientific and technical information passing

through its doors. Whether the information will result in a document to be distributed through the traditional

print and mail process, or an electronic document available on the Internet--or both--the team is responsible

for making it happen go through the process step-by-step with each customer. For information about the

STI Program at any NASA Center, visit http://stipo.larc.nasa.gov/sti_link4text.html.

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...From Johnson Space Center

NASA/TP-1998-208920: "Mir Mission Chronicle: November 1994 -- August 1996"

NASA/TP-1998-208920, by Sue McDonald, was published in December 1998. Mir space station

configuration changes (including dockings by the U.S. Space Shuttle), crew exchanges, and major mission

events for the period are described. The document provides a follow-up to D.S.F. Portree's "Mir Hardware

Heritage" (NASA/RP-1357), published in March 1995.

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... From the Lewis Research Center

Renaming of the Lewis Research Center

As of March 1, 1999, the Lewis Research Center is now the John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field.

This change is having a significant impact on the Lewis web community. In addition to the name change, a

commensurate change of network is occurring at the same time--the lerc.nasa.gov domain is being replaced

by grc.nasa.gov. This change is actually taking place in a phased approach, during which Lewis/Glenn

servers and services can be accessed at either domain. The duration of this dual domain period has not yet been

set.

For those who maintain web pages, we ask that content and links be revised accordingly, on or after March 1,

1999. The new John H. Glenn Research Center website address is http://www.grc.nasa.gov

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NASA in the News

Artificial Muscles to Be Used on Robotic Space Explorers

Artificial muscles that should give space robots animal-like flexibility and manipulation ability will get

their first test on a small NASA rover destined to explore an asteroid.

Under development by Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the artificial muscles

are based on a simple, lightweight strip of highly flexible plastic that bends and functions similarly to

human fingers when electrical voltage is applied to it.

Unlike human hands, which move by contracting and relaxing muscles, typical robotic arms utilize gears,

hydraulics, and other expensive, heavy power-hungry parts. In future planetary exploration missions,

where robots will need to perform tasks like collecting and manipulating samples of soil, complexity

becomes a problem. The technology Dr. Bar-Cohen and his colleagues are developing could lead to the

future development of insect-like robots that emulate biological creatures.

Further information about Bar-Cohen's research and related activities is available at

http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov.

NASA Aircraft Takes Student Experiments to New Heights

For the third consecutive year, college students from around the country will investigate a variety of

scientific disciplines from inside a NASA aircraft in a student program originating from NASA's Johnson

Space Flight Center.

The first 48 teams of students, divided into Group A and Group B, will report to Ellington Field from

March 8 to March 20, and March 15 to March 27, respectively. During the first week of their two-week

visit to Houston, program participants receive pre-flight training, and assemble and test their experiment

packages. During the second week, the students fly with their experiments, adjusting equipment as needed,

and conduct post-flight debriefings and reviews. Following the conclusion of the flight campaign, each

team is required to develop a program for sharing the results of its experiment with teachers, other

students, and the general public.

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NASA Headquarters

Fact Sheets Available Online

NASA Headquarters has just placed a series of fact sheets online. These fact sheets include information on

the status of various programs--Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and NASA's Strategic

Enterprises (i.e., Space Science, Earth Science, Aero-Space Technology, and Human Exploration and

Development of Space).

The fact sheets are available at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/index.html.

HOME
Space Exploration

Space Exploration at the Millennium: In Remembrance of Carl Sagan

A symposium, presenting key figures of 20th century creativity and achievement, is taking place Wednesday,

March 24, 1999. This symposium will offer a retrospective on one of this century's crowning

accomplishments--the genesis of space exploration--and it will consider its future. Attendance is open to the

public and free of charge.

The symposium will feature Buzz Aldrin, Richard Berendzen, Avery Books, Yvonne Cagle, Andrew Chaikin,

Franklin Chang-Diaz, Hugh Downs, Ann Druyan, Timothy Ferris, Louis Friedman, John Glenn (invited), Dan

Goldin, Don Herbert, Ted Koppel (barring a media emergency), John Logsdon, Howard McCurdy, Bill Nye, Fred

Ordway, Ned Potter, Kim Stanley Robinson, Donna Shirley, Edward Stone, Kathy Sullivan, and Jill Tarter.

NASA, Aerojet, American Airlines, American Astronautical Society, American University, D.C. Space Grant

Consortium, Lockheed Martin, and more than a dozen other organizations are co-sponsoring the event.

Seating is limited. To help ensure your space, please register promptly at http://www.SPACE2000.org.

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NASA History Office

NASA/SP-350: "Apollo Expeditions to the Moon" Now on the Web

The NASA History Office is pleased to announce that Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA/SP-350,

1975) is now available online at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-350/cover.html. This richly

illustrated work was edited by Edgar Cortright and contains chapters written by various key figures in the

Apollo Program, such as James Webb, Robert Gilruth, and Wernher von Braun. Out of print for a number of

years, this web version should be of special interest because of the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission

in July 1999. We would like to thank Hans-Peter Engel for doing a tremendous job scanning and formatting

the text and the many full-color images for the web.

For more information on the NASA History Office, visit the NASA History Office homepage at

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History.

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The NASA Commercial Technology

Program ... An Overview

The NASA Commercial Technology Program encompasses a national network of specialized centers and

organizations that assist U.S. businesses and industry in accessing, utilizing and commercializing

NASA-funded research and technology. The organizations work closely with each other to provide a full range

of technology transfer and commercialization services and assistance. The NASA Commercial Technology

Network (NCTN) consists of the Commercial Technology Organizations at each of the NASA field centers,

the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC), the six Regional

Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs), NASA Tech Briefs, COSMIC, UNISPHERE, and other specialized

organizations and services. All are dedicated to fostering dual-use technology partnerships and the transfer and

commercialization of NASA-sponsored research and technology.

The NCTN provides access to a wide variety of information resources that can be searched and consulted for

research and technology, patents, technical expertise, and R&D facilities, as well as for technology partnering,

licensing, and commercialization opportunities. In addition to serving as an integrated information resource,

the NCTN is developing into an electronic marketplace for NASA-sponsored technology, facilitating

communications, transactions, and partnerships between NASA and the U.S. private sector.

Visit the NCTN website at http://www.nctn.hq.nasa.gov for more information on the NASA Commercial

Technology Program and the members of its network

HOME
Spinoff

NASA's premier publication, Spinoff, features over 40 companies annually that have successfully utilized

NASA technology in commercial products and processes. The main purpose of the publication is to generate

greater awareness of the practical benefits resulting from the nation's investment in aerospace research and

development.

Each year NASA distributes tens of thousands of Spinoffs through trade shows, conferences, and special

requests. The Spinoff website, located at http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff.html, includes a searchable

database with an entry for every article, as well as manufacturer information for articles published since 1986.

Online versions of Spinoff 1996, 1997, and 1998 can also be accessed through this site.

The Spinoff publication focuses on NASA's contributions to areas in the private sector, including health and

medicine, transportation, public safety, home and recreation, environment and resources, computer

technology, and industrial productivity.

The Spinoff team welcomes new information regarding companies with successfully transferred NASA

technology into the development of a commercial product. If you know of any companies that have done so,

please contact the Spinoff editors, Ms. Danielle Israel, at disrael@sti.nasa.gov, telephone (301) 621-0242,

or Ms. Zoë Rush, at zrush@sti.nasa.gov, telephone (301) 621-0244.

To receive a printed copy of Spinoff, please contact the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) at (800)

678-6882 or visit the NTTC website at http://www.nttc.edu.

HOME
NASA Spinoff Developments in the News

Heart Assist Pump Effective in European Trials

A miniaturized ventricular-assist pump, developed for heart patients using NASA technology, has been

successfully implanted into seven people in European clinical trials. More than twenty additional

implants are expected my mid-1999.

Initially called the NASA/DeBakey heart pump, it is based in part on technology used in Space Shuttle

fuel pumps. It is intended as a long-term "bridge" to transplant or as a more permanent device to help

patients toward leading a more normal life.

NASA, in keeping with its mission of transferring space-based technology to the private sector, wanted

to license the pump to a company that could develop and test it, with the goal of eventually bringing it

to public use. MicroMed was granted exclusive rights to the technology in 1996. By 1998, MicroMed

gained international quality and electronic standards certifications, got permission to begin clinical trials

in Europe, and implanted the first device. In November 1998, the first patient, a 56-year-old man,

received what is now called the DeBakey VADTM in Berlin. The company hopes to begin U.S. clinical

trials in mid-1999.

For more NASA spinoffs, visit the NASA Spinoff website at http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff.html.

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