National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Innovative Partnerships Program Office

Accomplishments 2009

www.nasa.gov

Goddard Space Flight Center’s

Building on the past. Innovating in the present.

Preparing for the future.
Chief

Innovative Partnerships Program Office

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

As chief of Goddard’s Innovative 

Partnerships Program (IPP) Office, I am 

thankful to lead a team that helps usher in 

collaboration, innovation, and ingenuity 

by nurturing relationships within NASA 

and beyond. Technology infusion and 

technology transfer relationships offer 

considerable growth for both NASA and 

our partners. And like all relationships, 

they grow and develop over time. So 

this year, we celebrate not just the 

accomplishments of 2009 but also the 

growth that our ongoing contributions 

have achieved—and the important ways 

in which they are helping us secure a 

prosperous future.

In 2009, the IPP Office helped 

Goddard Space Flight Center celebrate 

its 50th anniversary by hosting a 50 

Years of Technology Spinoffs event 

commemorating the five decades 

of Goddard research and the many 

spinoff products that have their roots in 

Goddard technologies. 

Goddard is involved in ongoing 

relationships with other government 

agencies. Agreements with these agencies 

have been nurtured over many years— 

and such ongoing relationships are 

helping to ensure that cross-government 

collaborations make the best use of 

innovation and stakeholder interest.

Goddard’s state-of-the-art facilities also 

have given birth to many collaborative 

agreements that were sustained 

and supported in 2009. As outside 

organizations make use of the data and 

technical services supplied by these 

facilities, their success helps position 

Goddard for future partnerships. 

NASA innovations of years past as well 

as those being developed now will help 

move NASA missions and IPP efforts 

forward. In this report you will read 

about some of Goddard’s contributions 

to the Hubble Space Telescope, Lunar 

Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Solar 

Dynamics Observatory and how the IPP 

Office has helped those technologies 

find new ways to contribute internally for 

NASA as well as externally to benefit the 

nation’s economy and society. 

Throughout 2009, IPP Office staff 

and Goddard innovators worked to 

identify new partnerships, network with 

scientific and aeronautic professionals 

in universities and industries, share 

technology transfer best practices, and 

extend the reach and reputation of 

Goddard technologies and capabilities. 

All of these accomplishments position 

Goddard to pioneer even more of 

the great discoveries that will define 

our times. 

I trust that you will enjoy learning about 

these collaborative relationships that we 

continue to nurture and sustain—as well 

as our other ongoing achievements—

through reading this report. n

Nona Minnifield Cheeks

As we welcome a new year of promise and innovation, we once again look back at our past achievements and strengths 

with this 2009 Accomplishments Report. 

2 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Building on the past. Innovating in the present. 

 Preparing for the future.
The IPP Office has a long history at Goddard of nurturing relationships with innovators, 

managers, and contacts beyond NASA that we will continue to strengthen well into 

the future. We are here to help ensure that the quality innovations Goddard 

contributes to NASA missions can be used by other industries and 

to form strong networks with outside organizations to help serve 

NASA’s needs. We invite you to contact us to learn more.

Find us online: http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov

Or call us: 301.286.5810

4 | Building a Culture of Collaboration 

8 | Goddard Celebrates 50 Years of Technology Spinoffs

10 | Collaboration with Other Government Agencies

12 | Goddard Facilities 

14 | Goddard Technologies Fill Mission Needs and Find Commercial Success

17 | Technology Transfer Metrics for 2009

18 | Networking, Recognition, and Outreach

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 3

Table of Contents
Goddard’s IPP Office is a part of the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) at Goddard. The AETD is 

well positioned to develop the critical technologies that will enable key scientific discoveries and advancements for the 

future. As Goddard takes further steps to integrate the efforts of AETD and the Sciences and Exploration Directorate 

(SED), the future of technology development is beginning to take shape—along with a vision for the larger scientific 

questions those technologies will help to answer.

“It’s so important to bring everyone—

science, engineering, IPP—together 

early to develop trust and build 

mutual understanding.”

—Orlando Figueroa, Director, AETD,

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

An Organizational Approach to Collaboration

When Orlando Figueroa became 

Director of AETD, he identified key 

areas he wanted the organization to 

focus on. “The first was creating a 

symbiotic relationship with the science 

community. The two sides—science and 

engineering—must recognize the critical 

role they each play in our future success,” 

said Figueroa. 

AETD’s Chief Technologist, Michael 

Johnson, echoes that sentiment. “We have 

some of the best engineers and scientists 

in the world here at Goddard, but to be 

the best at what we do, we really need to 

talk to each other. We need both science 

and engineering to come together to meet 

our goals.”

Figueroa noted that a commitment to 

this symbiotic relationship with SED can 

be seen through both formal programs 

and an overall culture of collaboration. 

“The idea is to start developing a 

trusting relationship so the contributions 

of both sides are acknowledged and 

appreciated,” said Figueroa. A new 

effort to help facilitate this goal is the 

Science and Engineering Collaboration 

Program (SECP)—the only program of 

its kind at NASA—in which engineers 

are placed alongside scientists and vice 

versa, enabling them to trade operational 

roles. “By having an engineer wear the 

scientists’ shoes, they learn how to think 

like a scientist and vice versa—and 

this expands their views of the others’ 

discipline,” said Figueroa. “This helps 

tremendously in building trust between 

science and engineering.” 

In addition to the SECP, Johnson 

noted that there also are more informal 

collaborative constructs in place between 

the two directorates. For example, 

inter-management council meetings are 

composed of scientists, engineers, and 

program managers. And at the grassroots 

level, engineers developing systems for 

missions often interact directly with their 

science colleagues to maintain open lines 

of communication and to make sure the 

systems will meet the scientists’ needs for 

the mission. “We try not to just rely upon 

a formal process,” said Johnson. “SECP is 

very important, but it’s also critical that a 

desire to communicate and collaborate be 

infused throughout our organization from 

top to bottom.”

Nick White, PhD, Director of SED, 

agrees. “It’s not helpful to view 

artificial barriers between science and 

engineering,” Dr. White said. “We 

have different organizations, but in 

terms of developing technologies, I 

see it as a seamless team that works 

towards development. Scientists 

write proposals, but to be successful 

they do it in collaboration with the 

engineering directorate.”

4 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Building a Culture of Collaboration 

 Advancing Scientific Discoveries
Building the Right Mix of Technologies for Science

As Goddard scientists delve deeper into the heart 

of scientific questions, they will rely on Goddard 

engineers to develop more advanced technologies 

than ever before. “It would be challenging to answer 

tomorrow’s questions with today’s technologies,” 

said Johnson. “To address the questions our science 

colleagues will pose, we will have to develop more 

sensitive, accurate, intelligent, and robust systems 

that use resources more efficiently. Tomorrow’s 

technologies will lead to novel mission concepts and 

system architectures and enable measurements in ways 

that we’ve never done before.” 

So what are the technologies of the future that 

Goddard engineers will be developing in the 

coming years? 

“It’s not helpful to view artificial barriers between science and 

engineering. We have different organizations, but in terms 

of developing technologies, I see it as a seamless 

team that works towards development.”

—Nick White, PhD, Director, SED,

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center 

“The future will be about how our scientists and 

engineers work together to infuse numerous 

technology advancements into systems in ways 

that will enable new mission concepts and 

measurement capabilities.”

—Michael Johnson, Chief Technologist, AETD,

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Looking into the Heart of the Scientific Issues of Our Time

Success in developing the next crop of technologies for science missions is a priority, as Goddard’s leaders look toward 

the most ambitious areas of scientific study handed down by the Decadal surveys and the National Academy of Sciences. 

“AETD needs to be at the forefront and in sync with what the science community needs to answer the scientific questions 

of the future,” noted Figueroa. 

White said that over the next 10 years, comprehensive programs will examine four areas of scientific study: 

Earth Science: Major areas of focus will be research into how and why the planet is changing and the impact 

of climate changes on the planet.

Astrophysics: NASA continues to research questions surrounding dark energy and dark matter as new focus 

areas are being investigated and will be announced in summer 2010.

Heliophysics: Research will surround solar events that affect Earth’s energetic field, predicting such events, 

and understanding how they may impact science missions.

Planetary Science: Primary focus continues to be the search for fundamental building blocks of life within our 

solar system and evidence of life beyond it.

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 5
White said scientists can define categories of technologies 

now that will likely be needed far into the future. “For 

Earth science, laser and lidar technologies are critical,” he 

said. On the heliophysics front, new sensor technologies 

will provide more precise observations of solar events. 

Specifically, Figueroa noted that Goddard is developing 

a fast-plasma analyzer that will help answer questions 

about the particles given off by the sun and their impact 

on Earth’s environment. “We will also soon have 

instruments observing the sun constantly to see if we can 

predict its activity and what that activity may mean for 

us,” he said.

Johnson added that new technologies developed for 

astrophysics and planetary science missions will need to 

be more flexible for deep space conditions. “Being able 

to operate systems over much wider temperature ranges 

opens up many possibilities,” Johnson said. “And being 

able to process data while in orbit will facilitate novel 

architectures.” But Johnson also noted that Goddard 

is not just working on a magic bullet. “There is no one 

breakthrough technology,” he said. “The future will be 

about how our scientists and engineers work together to 

infuse numerous technology advancements into systems 

in ways that will enable new mission concepts and 

measurement capabilities.”

Collaborating beyond NASA

While tight coupling of science and engineering within 

Goddard is critical to future technology development, 

finding opportunities beyond the center and beyond 

NASA will also be crucial to future mission successes. 

“Even though we have some of the greatest talent in 

the world at Goddard, it does not all reside here,” said 

Johnson. “It’s incumbent upon us to leverage talent, 

resources, and technologies that reside outside Goddard 

to the fullest extent possible.”

Figueroa noted that the IPP is key to facilitating 

relationships that will bring the best technologies to 

Goddard to meet future mission needs. “If we are 

tackling a technology problem, knowledge of who out 

there is working on those technologies is critical. IPP 

can help with that,” said Figueroa. “They can also help 

identify other technologies that are cutting edge outside 

of Goddard.” 

Figueroa said that building these relationships early is 

ideal. “A lot of our technologies were born in the SBIR 

program, something the IPP handles very well.” He 

noted that the Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) program can help strengthen collaboration at an 

early stage and provide the building blocks for future 

infusion. (See pages 9, 14, and 19 of this report for more 

SBIR program successes.) “The future is sometimes 

made or broken with those initial steps,” Figueroa said. 

“That’s why it’s so important to bring everyone—science, 

engineering, IPP—together early to develop trust and 

build mutual understanding.” n

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) is delivering valuable data 

and stunning images of the lunar surface, like this relief map of the 

south polar region of the moon.

NASA image courtesy of Erwan Mazarico

An ICESat world elevation map, showing all elevation data gathered 

through the Laser 3C period.

ICESat Laser 3c Elevations - 5/20 to 6/23/05

C.A. Shuman and V.P. Suchdeo

Code 614.1 Cryospheric Sciences Branch NASA/GSFC

Elevation (m) +4000

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

6 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009
Mission: Lower Risk

A critical reason for tight collaboration between science and engineering is to 

help lower the risk of Goddard missions. Figueroa said several recent missions 

provide examples of this risk reduction. ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation 

Satellite) provides one such example. Figueroa noted that ICESat-1 provided 

many lessons learned about how to go about finding the best laser technologies 

available. Now, as ICESat-2 ramps up, AETD is taking that learning forward. 

“Through our successes and through our mistakes we have become very good 

at scanning for the best instruments available to increase the science return,” 

said Figueroa. “We’re bringing in experts to help validate our approaches, and 

we need to make sure everyone working on the technologies for missions is in 

sync. It is better risk management through collaboration.”

A second example is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and its 

centerpiece instrument, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), which was 

conceived and developed in collaboration between AETD and SED. “LOLA’s 

design, testing, and verification was a joined-at-the-hip collaboration between 

science and engineering,” said Figueroa. “And as a result, we have terrific data 

coming back to Earth.”

Collaborating on these high-profile missions is critical, but Johnson also noted 

that intermingling of scientists and engineers on small missions can be just as 

important in lowering overall risk. “Even small missions that don’t have all the 

visibility lay the groundwork for high-profile missions like LRO,” Johnson said. 

The Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) experiment 

between NASA and the U.S. Navy is a good example. He noted that the four 

instruments quickly developed through collaboration between AETD and SED 

for FASTSAT will lead to larger heliophysics mission opportunities. “Smallbudget missions lay the groundwork for relationships and can establish a level 

of trust and understanding between team members that can be invaluable when 

they work on larger missions,” said Johnson. “And that helps to lower our 

overall risk.” 

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite left for 

the moon on June 18, 2009.

NASA photo by Bill Ingalls 

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 7
As much as innovation provides the key to NASA’s 

ability to research, invent, and explore, it also unlocks the 

possibilities for technological advances beyond the space 

program. For 50 years, innovators have been creating 

new capabilities and making new discoveries that have 

resulted in unique technologies with surprising uses 

beyond NASA. With the assistance of the IPP Office, 

these technologies have yielded amazing new products 

that enrich our standard of living, benefitting:

• Health and medicine

• Public safety

• Defense and homeland security

• Transportation

• Environment

• Communication

• Industry and manufacturing

• Consumer goods

Looking back, we recognize some of the standout 

spinoffs from the last half-century.

Black & Decker

In the mid-1960s, NASA was preparing for the Apollo 

missions to the moon and needed a tool that astronauts 

could use to obtain samples of rocks and soil. They 

sought a lightweight, compact, powerful drill capable of 

digging deep into the surface of the moon. Innovators 

worked with Black & Decker to invent a battery-powered 

magnet-motor drill. The tool was used to extract rock 

samples from the surface of the moon while operating in 

extreme temperatures and zero-atmosphere conditions. 

This research led Black & Decker to subsequently 

develop lightweight, cordless medical instruments, 

hand-held vacuum cleaners, and other tools for 

everyday consumers.

MPI Outdoors

In the space program’s early days, NASA needed to make 

its balloon satellites highly reflective in order to bounce 

radio signals from one station on the east coast up to the 

reflecting satellite and back to a second station on the 

west coast. The satellites also had to inflate in orbit and 

be very thin and lightweight for launch. To answer this 

need, innovators developed a new plastic film coated 

with a superfine mist of vacuum-vaporized aluminum. In 

the early 1960s, MPI Outdoors licensed the technology, 

leading to the development of the Original SPACE®

Brand Blankets, which fold into a 3-ounce package the 

size of a deck of playing cards. MPI also has used the 

technology to develop protective fabrics that retain up 

to 80 percent of the user’s body heat, helping to keep 

someone warm for hours in cold weather or preventing 

post-accident shock.

MiniMed, Inc.

NASA’s development of the Programmable Implantable 

Medication System (PIMS) began in 1980 through a 

Goddard-sponsored technology utilization project at 

Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Physics Lab. PIMS 

employs a tiny, microminiaturized fluid control system 

that was licensed to Pacesetter Systems and yielded a 

spinoff company: MiniMed Technologies Limited. The 

company continued development of the PIMS technology 

into an implantable insulin pump, which was inducted 

into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988. The 

next 26 years of research and development resulted in 

other implantable devices based on PIMS, including a 

cochlear implant to aid the deaf and new products to aid 

people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. 

Black & Decker’s Greg Moores talks about the company’s cordless 

tool technology used in NASA’s Apollo missions that is now 

commonplace in homes around the world.

Greg Cole of Mainstream Engineering Corporation holds a sample 

of the company’s QwikBoostTM product line, which employs a NASA 

technology based on a chemical/mechanical heat pump and helps 

customers save money while protecting the environment.

Marking Goddard’s 50th anniversary, the IPP Office commemorated five decades of Goddard research that 

produced spinoff technologies.

SPACE is a registered trademark of MPI Outdoors.

QwikBoost is a trademark of Mainstream 

Engineering Corporation.

8 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Goddard Celebrates 

 50 Years of Technology Spinoffs
Mainstream Engineering Corporation

In 1988, NASA was trying to develop 

a way to extract heat from a spacecraft 

using less power. Goddard partnered 

with Mainstream Engineering 

Corporation through an IPP Small 

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 

grant to develop new spacecraft heat 

rejection systems. This collaboration led 

to development of a unique, low-cost 

additive that increases the performance 

of air conditioners, heat pumps, 

refrigerators, and freezers. Introduced in 

1998 by Mainstream as the QwikBoost 

additive, this product works by increasing 

the cooling capacity of a refrigerant, 

reducing energy use and expenses. Today, 

the QwikBoost additive is commercially 

available everywhere and is also in use 

by NASA. Mainstream now produces an 

extensive line of Qwik refrigeration and 

air conditioning products. 

Bartron Medical Imaging

In the 1990s, Goddard’s Recursive 

Hierarchical Segmentation (RHSEG) 

software system was developed for use 

in Earth remote sensing applications. 

RHSEG provides an improved approach 

to image analysis by offering selectable 

levels of detail that increase accuracy 

for two- and three-dimensional images. 

In 2002, Bartron Medical Imaging 

(BMI) licensed the RHSEG software 

and used it as the basis for its Med-SegTM

medical imaging product. Today, the 

Med-Seg product is being applied to 

clinical problems and is expected to 

improve diagnostic, treatment, and 

follow-up therapeutic applications. BMI 

credits the technology spinoff for helping 

to jumpstart its product development 

efforts and for leading to improved 

medical imaging that benefits patients and 

care providers.

(L-R) Doug Comstock, Janelle Turner, Sharon Moore, Darryl Mitchell, Krystal Kennedy, Dwight 

Norwood, Carmela Goodall, Ted Mecum, Dale Clarke, Nona Cheeks (holding a model of 

the Black & Decker moon drill), Enidia Santiago-Arce, Irene Tzinis, Melissa Jackson, Laura 

Walker, Laura Schoppe, Rebecca Gillespie, and Fred Gregory.

(L-R) Greg Moores, Black & Decker; Fred Gregory, former NASA Deputy Administrator and veteran 

shuttle astronaut; Nona Cheeks, Chief of Goddard’s IPP Office; Doug Comstock, Director of NASA’s IPP; 

Greg Cole, Mainstream Engineering Corporation; and Fitz Walker, Bartron Medical Imaging.

Med-Seg is a trademark of Bartron Medical 

Imaging LLC.

Partnering Mechanisms

These spinoffs, and many others like them, have occurred through technology 

transfer, partnerships, SBIR funding, the IPP Partnership Seed Fund, and 

other mechanisms. The IPP looks for ways in which NASA’s technology needs 

and capabilities align with those of industry, universities, or other government 

laboratories. We then bring the organizations together into a partnership. By 

finding compatible needs and research goals among diverse organizations, 

the IPP:

• Adds value to NASA’s mission directorates by facilitating technology 

development and then infusing it into NASA programs and projects

• Addresses NASA’s technology barriers via cost-shared, joint-development 

partnerships

• Facilitates technology transfer for commercial applications that benefit the 

economy and improve life on Earth

The IPP’s goals and these spinoff successes are expected to increase in the 

coming years, as Goddard innovators continue to develop technologies for 

NASA missions that will be applicable beyond the space program. n

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 9
The IPP Office focuses on building long-term relationships with other government agencies to collaborate and innovate. These ongoing relationships will take us 

into the future and help to ensure that we are consistently putting our combined resources and innovations to work for tomorrow’s scientific advancements and 

burgeoning technologies. Many new relationships were established in 2009, and other partnerships have been growing for some time. 

Hawaii-4RG is a trademark of Teledyne Imaging Sensors, 

a Teledyne Technologies Company.

Ongoing Relationship with NOAA Feeds Collaborative Efforts 

for GOES Program

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NASA 

and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) enabled the two organizations to collaborate on 

the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 

(GOES) program and its recently launched satellite GOESNOP (launched June 27, 2009). Following that successful 

launch, Goddard and NOAA are now preparing for the 

next generation of the GOES program, which will include 

improved spacecraft and instruments for more timely and 

accurate weather forecasts and detection and observation 

of meteorological phenomena. The upcoming GOES 

satellites will also be equipped with improved spectral, 

spatial, and temporal resolution; real-time lightning 

detection maps; increased dynamic range; and improved 

data capacity.

This ongoing collaboration also paved the way for 

additional technology transfer activities led by the IPP 

Office. For example, a reimbursable Space Act Agreement 

(SAA) between Goddard and Lockheed Martin enabled 

collaborative testing of Goddard’s “Navigator” GPS 

receiver (see page 14) to determine its suitability for the 

GOES-R program. Administered by the IPP Office, this 

agreement—and others like it—helped contribute the 

technologies and testing necessary for the GOES program.

Technical Exchange Group with DIA Offers Opportunity to 

Share New Innovations

Promoting cross-agency technology infusion for 

mutual benefit is the goal behind a 2007 MOU between 

Goddard and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency 

(DIA). Administered by the IPP Office, the agreement 

created a Technical Exchange Group (TEG) between 

the two organizations. The TEG now meets biannually 

with the goal of sharing new technology developments, 

plans, and future aerospace and defense mission needs 

and requirements in order to identify potential areas 

of technical exchange, infusion, and partnerships. 

The collaboration provides a basis through which the 

DIA advocates for appropriate infusion of Goddarddeveloped technologies throughout the defense 

intelligence community. 

Agreement with ONR to Enable Shared Test Results for 

Mutually Beneficial Missions

An MOU signed in 2009 between Goddard and the Office 

of Naval Research (ONR) provides yet another example 

of the importance of collaboration with other government 

organizations. Goddard and ONR tested the Hawaii4RGTM (H4RG) large-format focal plane technology 

for use within their respective missions. The H4RG 

technology is a next-generation readout integrated circuit 

for visible and infrared instrumentation in ground-based 

and space telescopes. As part of the agreement, Goddard 

provided ONR with 12 H4RG readout integrated circuits, 

which ONR processed into fully functional detectors and 

arranged for performance and radiation effects testing. 

Test results were shared between the organizations, 

enabling broader use of this third-party technology by two 

government organizations while making efficient use of 

taxpayer dollars and testing resources.

With smoke and steam rolling across the launch pad, 

a Delta IV rocket begins its ascent into the sky with the 

GOES-O satellite aboard. 

NASA photo by Kim Shiflett

10 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Collaboration with Other Government Agencies 

 Moving Broad Innovation Forward
The IPP Office is pleased to announce the following new agreements with 

other government agencies:

Wavefront sensing algorithms

Memorandum of Understanding

Office of 

Naval Research

Development and test of a hybrid visible silicon 

readout integrated circuit

Defense Intelligence 

Agency Technical Exchange Group

National Institute of 

Standards and 

Technology

Cryogenic propellant slosh tank

Space Act Agreement

Bureau of Indian 

Education Science and technology education

Air Force Research 

Laboratory Space 

Vehicles Directorate

National Institute 

of Standards 

and Technology

Microwave noise source measurements

PARTNER TECHNOLOGY/FOCUS

NASA’s Ames 

Research Center Nanotechnology research

IPP Innovation Fund and Partnership Seed 

Fund Awards Keep Collaboration with AFRL 

Moving Forward

Goddard has had a long-standing 

collaborative relationship with the Air 

Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), 

through which both organizations are 

advancing composite and navigation 

technologies for the benefit of missions 

and future scientific achievements. 

A research and development effort 

among Goddard, AFRL, and The 

Aerospace Corporation in 2007 was 

a recipient in the first-ever round of 

Goddard Innovation Fund awards. 

The funding enabled development of 

carbon nanotube–enhanced polymers 

and advanced flat-plate technologies for 

rapid, low-cost composite structures. 

The initial use for these polymers and 

flat-plate technology innovations was to 

infuse lightweight composite materials 

having very high performance properties 

into future spacecraft structures. Another 

collaborative initiative between Goddard 

and AFRL received a Partnership Seed 

Fund award to develop a plug-and-play 

capable GPS receiver to benefit NASA’s 

future science missions. 

Nanotechnology Research Benefits from 

Collaboration with NIST 

An MOU collaboration between NASA 

and the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST) enables Goddard 

and NIST researchers to work together 

using joint expertise and NIST’s new 

Advanced Measurement Laboratory 

in support of individual and joint 

research goals. 

The MOU calls for Goddard and 

NIST to jointly define and manage 

research projects in nanoscience and 

microelectromechanical systems device 

design, technologies, operational 

protocols, fabrication technologies, and 

device metrology. The results of this 

collaboration are expected to support 

advancements in chemical and biological 

detectors, power generation, thermal 

management systems, radio frequency 

electronics, electro-optic devices, and 

distributed sensor networks. n

Multi-Year Collaboration with DoD Hopes to Redefine 

Mission Design and Implementation

A 2009 reimbursable SAA with the Department of 

Defense’s (DoD’s) Operationally Responsive Space 

(ORS) Office involves the transfer of multiple Goddard 

technologies to DoD, helping to significantly extend 

the reach of Goddard innovations to other government 

agencies. Transferred innovations and capabilities 

include enterprise ground system core components 

and interfaces, range safety and operations, platforms 

for launch vehicle and spacecraft applications, and 

management and system engineering support to 

ORS. Administered by the IPP Office, the agreement 

represents a multi-year collaborative effort that will 

redefine the way space missions are designed and 

implemented. Officials at Goddard and ORS anticipate 

that the agreement will help to streamline the process 

by which technological components are developed for 

programs. The agreement is expected to abate the stifling 

effects of economic downturns on research through 

strategic transfer and widespread reuse of government 

technologies and capabilities. 

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 11
Radiation Effects Facility

Because space missions often expose materials and electronics to substantial degrees 

of radiation, precise measurement of their radiation tolerance is critical to help ensure 

the safety and longevity of NASA’s long-term space operations. Goddard’s Radiation 

Effects Facility (REF) examines ionization and displacement damage of electronics 

and materials as well as instrument calibration requirements for devices in space. 

Functional and parametric performance changes occur at different ionization levels 

in space, making the REF’s radiation-damage testing vital for a variety of aerospace 

equipment, including electronics, microcircuits, sensors, couplings, lenses, and filters as 

well as paints, coatings, and aircraft structural materials. The facility also produces and 

calibrates sensors, X-ray machines, and other radiation measurement instruments. 

Organizations beyond Goddard can also make use of the REF, typically through 

partnership mechanisms administered by the IPP Office. Recently, Texas Instruments 

began testing at REF with Goddard innovators, investigating the requirements for 

engineering and marketing radiation-tolerant electronics to serve potential NASA 

contracts and aerospace companies that manufacture spaceflight equipment.

Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measuring System Facility

Goddard’s Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS) is a oneof-a-kind facility used to measure the refractive index of optical materials. This highly 

versatile facility can provide measurements at cryogenic temperatures and a wide range 

of wavelengths with unsurpassed accuracy. 

The success of NASA infrared missions depends on the availability of accurate refractive 

index data for optics operating at cryogenic temperatures. Several NASA missions, 

including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Kepler Photometer, have 

directly benefited from the facility. The IPP Office has executed Space Act Agreements 

to enable use of the CHARMS 

facility by organizations outside 

NASA as well. Recent partners 

have included the University of 

California Observatories/Lick 

Observatory (UCO/Lick) and the 

Harvard–Smithsonian Center for 

Astrophysics. CHARMS can also 

provide custom measurements 

to outside organizations and 

publish the measurement data, 

making it available to the larger 

scientific community. 

Goddard’s CHARMS facility characterizes the material 

properties of prismatic samples.

Inside the Damage Van de Graaff Test Chamber in 

Goddard’s REF.

“We’re benefiting not only from our own agreement but also from others. We’ve used 

data from several other measurements the CHARMS facility has taken in the past, 

and I anticipate we will benefit from more of the facility’s published data in the future. 

It’s a great benefit for everyone in aerospace to have that information made public.” 

—Dr. Harland Epps, Astronomer, Professor, and Optics Design Consultant, UCO/Lick

“Understanding the result of 

scaling on radiation effects 

is critical for the future of 

spacecraft electronics. We can’t 

investigate these effects without 

the support of other commercial 

and university partners. 

Technology transfer makes this 

possible through collaborative, 

cost-saving agreements with 

research partners.”

—Ken LaBel, Engineer, 

Goddard’s REF

Goddard’s specialized facilities offer technical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment for technology development, testing, and characterization. 

12 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Goddard Facilities 

 Ushering in Partnerships and Innovation
The Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center 

(GMSEC) laboratory is a cross-organizational effort 

providing mission-enabling data systems that help 

reduce the costs of mission development, operations, 

and maintenance by enabling connectivity among other 

labs for coordinated development and testing. The lab 

provides multiple operating systems, languages, and 

communications protocols and facilitates technology 

development, benchmarking, demonstrations, 

evaluations, system integration, functional testing, and 

what-if scenarios. Innovators involved with Goddard 

missions can try out GMSEC-compliant governmentoff-the-shelf and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies 

to evaluate them for potential use in flight and 

ground systems. Goddard’s IPP Office facilitates the 

sharing of GMSEC software via the agency’s software 

release process. (For more about Goddard’s 2009 

Software Usage Agreements, see page 17.) n

Detector Development and Characterization Laboratories

The Detector Development Laboratory (DDL) and Detector Characterization 

Laboratory (DCL) at Goddard offer facilities for specialized development and testing of 

detector technologies. The DDL is a 24,000-square-foot, highly advanced semiconductor 

fabrication facility used frequently for testing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 

and nanotechnology devices. The DDL has been used to develop transition edge sensor 

detector arrays for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and for the International X-ray 

Observatory. The DDL facility also 

assisted with development of a silicon 

thermistor calorimeter array for Suzaku, 

Japan’s fifth X-ray astronomy mission, and 

a microshutter array system for the JWST.

The DCL offers optical and electrical 

characterization capabilities for largeformat detector arrays. The facility can 

provide testing at temperatures below 

1 Kelvin, enabling characterization of 

superconducting and other cryogenic 

detectors. The facility has been used for 

testing and characterization of the Wide 

Field Camera 3 instrument for the Hubble 

Space Telescope, the Linear Etalon 

Imaging Spectral Array instrument for 

the New Horizons mission to Pluto, and 

the Near Infrared Spectrograph Detector 

Subsystem for the JWST.

Both the DDL and DCL are available for use by U.S. companies, universities, and 

other government agencies for research and development projects, alongside NASA 

engineers working on technologies for NASA missions. Arrangements for use are 

negotiated through Space Act Agreements administered by the IPP Office. These 

partnerships help extend Goddard’s investment in these world-class facilities for broader 

scientific advancement. 

The DDL provides access to a toolset that can produce innovative detectors or bulk micro-machined 

MEMS devices. Shown here is the wet sector bench for solvents and corrosives.

The DCL consists of several laboratories, 

including class 100 and 10,000 clean rooms 

for testing contamination-sensitive detectors 

and subsystems. It is used to perform complete 

optical and electrical characterizations of largeformat detector arrays operating in the ultraviolet, 

visible, and infrared spectrums.

Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center Development Lab

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 13
SpaceCube

Goddard’s SpaceCube is a small hybrid 

computer that provides up to 25 times 

the processing power of a typical flight 

processor. This innovation was the brain 

of SM4’s Relative Navigation Sensors 

(RNS) system. The SpaceCube processor 

recorded imagery of HST as it came near 

the shuttle for docking and as it was 

later released. Controlling three cameras, 

a global positioning system receiver, a 

command and telemetry module, and 500 

gigabytes of memory, SpaceCube also 

managed the real-time image processing 

and tracking algorithms used to 

determine the exact position and attitude 

of HST. 

There is an ongoing effort to develop a 

SpaceCube 2.0, which offers 100 times 

more data than the initial processor, 

include applications where there is a high 

quantity of incoming data and a need 

for real-time on-board processing or 

data reduction. Goddard’s IPP Office is 

currently seeking patent protection for this 

processing technology and is negotiating 

agreements with university and industry 

partners for further development.

Navigator Global Positioning System (GPS)

The Navigator GPS technology also 

had its first flight validation on HST’s 

SM4, as part of the RNS system. Now 

fully flight-qualified, Navigators are 

currently being developed for the 

Magnetospheric MultiScale mission, 

the Global Precipitation Measurement 

(GPM) mission, and the Geostationary 

Operational Environmental Satellite 

R-Series (GOES-R) program. Goddard’s 

IPP Office is currently negotiating a 

commercial license for the Navigator GPS 

as well.

Titanium Matrix Composite (TMC)

The shuttle transported SM4’s instrument 

package using a new carrier whose 

composite and two of its six struts 

were made of TMC. This new material 

was originally developed through a 

collaborative effort between the Robert 

C. Byrd Institute and FMW Composite 

Systems. The TMC technology was 

flown in space for the first time on SM4. 

Commercially, it will soon fly as part of 

the new Boeing 787 aircraft.

Microchannel Plate

An IPP-administered SBIR award to 

Pegasus Glassworks yielded a high-gain, 

sheared microchannel plate technology 

that was used in the MultiAnode 

Microchannel Array detectors in HST’s 

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph 

instrument. The plates were also used in 

the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the 

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph which were 

new HST instruments on SM4. 

Space Portable SpectroReflectometer (SPSR)

Another IPP-administered SBIR award 

to AZ Technology, Inc., resulted in the 

development of the SPSR. This handheld instrument measures key thermal 

properties of material surfaces and was 

used during the extra-vehicular activities 

during SM4. The SPSR instrument has 

since been flight-qualified and is being 

used for extra-vehicular activities aboard 

the International Space Station. n

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in orbit in 2010, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, and it continues to 

send NASA fabulously detailed images. Launched on May 11, 2009, Hubble’s fourth servicing mission (SM4) took more than 20 new technologies into orbit for the 

first time. Several of these new technologies, which the IPP Office will be working to commercialize as well as infuse within NASA, are described below.

The SpaceCube processor was the most 

powerful yet the lightest piece of equipment on 

the SM4 servicing mission.

NASA photo by Chris Gunn

NASA photo by Chris Gunn

The shuttle’s new lightweight carrier, composed 

in part with TMC, transported the new instruments 

for SM4.

The Navigator GPS technology, part of the RNS 

system, flew for the first time on SM4.

14 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Goddard Technologies Fill Mission Needs and Find Commercial Success 

 Hubble Space Telescope
The LRO mission had an aggressive schedule that did not allow for the development 

state-of the-art technologies. Instead, the team often adapted existing technologies to 

meet LRO’s mission needs. From the spacecraft to its instruments to the components 

and software that compose them, the LRO team leveraged from technologies that were 

already in production at Goddard. The following are just two examples.

Core Flight Executive (cFE) Software

The highly successful flight software used on LRO was one of the highlights of mission 

development. Developed by Goddard’s Flight Software Branch, cFE helps streamline 

the software development process, managing previously flown software to handle 

routine spacecraft tasks, such as telemetry, health and safety, stored commanding, and 

more. The cFE software is part of the 

larger Core Flight Software system, which 

isolates platform-dependent interfaces, 

provides a reusable plug-and-play software 

component library, includes an integrated 

development environment, and features 

a graphical interface that allows missions 

planners to peruse a catalog and select the 

components they want for their mission.

LRO’s use of cFE represents the first 

step in a much larger effort to provide 

an automated, platform-independent 

system that offers reusable software to 

all types of missions. The IPP Office 

is contributing to that larger effort by 

facilitating the sharing of cFE with 

NASA mission managers via the 

Software Release Process and Software 

Usage Agreements.

Led by Goddard Space Flight Center, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is an unmanned mission designed to create a comprehensive atlas of the moon’s 

features and resources. Launched in June 2009, LRO is already returning images to Earth, including three-dimensional images of the moon. The LRO mission 

is an excellent example of how reusing existing technology and sharing innovations across missions contributes to NASA’s success. Goddard’s IPP Office 

encourages and fosters technology development, reuse, and sharing both within NASA and externally.

This image of the Einstein craters on the moon’s 

western limb is just one of many being sent to 

Earth by LRO.

LOLA’s range imaging system can optically detect laser pulses from Earth, determining LRO’s precise 

orbit position.

Photo courtesy of Erwan Mazarico

Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA)

Goddard’s LOLA technology is a descendant of both the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter 

(MOLA) flown on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and the Mercury Laser Altimeter 

(MLA) currently deployed on the Mercury Surface Space Environment Geochemistry 

and Ranging (MESSENGER) satellite. For LRO, LOLA will perform similar tasks to 

MOLA and MLA, but it will do so with three to five times greater accuracy than MOLA. 

Its timing resolution is significantly better than MLA as well. With LRO now launched, 

the LOLA design team is now working on the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System 

(GLAS) designed for the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (see page 7). They 

are also working closely with Goddard’s IPP Office on potential commercialization for 

the technology. n

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 15

Goddard Technologies Fill Mission Needs and Find Commercial Success 

 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Coldfire SDN Hardware Diagnostics Technology

Coldfire Subsystem Data Node (SDN) Hardware 

Diagnostics software is a flexible means of testing 

and debugging custom computer hardware. 

SDO mission personnel used the software to run 

diagnostics during the early check-up phases to 

debug the hardware interfaces and ensure that 

the hardware was performing as designed. The 

software identified some problems with the SDO 

hardware that subsequently were corrected. In 2007, 

NASA’s Headquarters funded a project to develop 

an enhanced version of the ColdFire processor. The 

IPP Office supported the technology’s inventor 

through the process of getting this technology 

registered so that it could be released to the 

university selected to complete that design. n

MTASS Attitude Determination and Sensor Calibration System

The Multi-Mission Three-Axis Stabilized Spacecraft (MTASS) Attitude Determination 

and Sensor Calibration System serves as a more efficient and cost-effective multi-mission 

software system. Originally developed in the mid-1990s, MTASS has been incorporated 

into 21 planned or on-orbit missions. As the standard software package that Goddard 

uses for attitude determination and sensor calibration, MTASS helps maintain the 

stringent attitude required for SDO to provide reliable data and images. Through the 

Software Release Process, the IPP Office has facilitated access to the MTASS through 

the Software Release Process and Software Usage Agreements (see page 17).

SpaceWire Data Link

The SDO data team created a high-speed 

data bus to direct and process images using 

Goddard’s SpaceWire data link technology. 

The SpaceWire technology has flown 

before but not at this level of performance. 

In addition to being used for the recent 

SDO and LRO projects, the SpaceWire 

technology is also slated for use on the 

upcoming Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite (GOES) and the 

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) 

missions. The IPP Office has worked 

extensively over the years to ensure 

maximum usage of Goddard’s SpaceWirebased technologies. During 2009 alone, 

the IPP Office secured seven Software 

Usage Agreements for Goddard’s 

SpaceWire “Link and Switch” technology.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission is designed to help scientists understand the origin of the sun’s energy and how it is stored and released into 

the sun’s atmosphere. Through this mission, scientists will gain a better understanding of how the sun’s magnetic fields are formed and how this translates into 

solar events—flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), sunspots—enabling better prediction of space weather. Several advanced innovations developed at Goddard 

have made the SDO mission possible, and they have already been leveraged for other NASA missions. Below are three examples of how Goddard’s IPP Office is 

contributing to the distribution of technologies to benefit other NASA missions.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) 

particle cloud blasted from the sun as 

it impacts Earth and creates an aurora.

The Coldfire SDN Hardware Diagnostics technology will test 

and debug computer hardware and can be customized for 

use with a variety of different processors.

NASA photo by Dwaine Molock

Goddard contributed many innovations to SDO, 

including the SpaceWire data link technology, 

the MTASS Attitude Determination and Sensor 

Calibration System, and the Coldfire SDN 

Hardware Diagnostics technology.

NASA photo by Barbara Lambert

16 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Goddard Technologies Fill Mission Needs and Find Commercial Success 

 Solar Dynamics Observatory
New technology reporting is one key way 

to ensure that the innovations developed 

at Goddard find their way into missions 

and can be used beyond NASA in 

industry, academia, and other government 

organizations. These documented 

innovations often lead to further scientific 

discovery and advancements as well. The 

IPP Office uses training and outreach 

activities, publicity materials, and Web 

content to encourage Goddard innovators 

to report their technologies. Some of these 

technologies receive patents, while most of 

our software innovations are made available 

through Software Usage Agreements.

Goddard secured 10 new patents in 2009, 

the most received in any year of the past decade.

7,504,921 Stepping flextures 

7,601,091 Modular gear bearings 

7,513,546 Conformal gripping device 

7,544,146 Anti-backlash gear bearings 

7,512,568 Evolvable synthetic neural system 

7,609,978 Interferometric polarization control

7,543,274 System and method for deriving a process-based specification 

7,548,199 Radiation-hardened fast acquisition/weak signal tracking system and method

7,513,459 Method and associated apparatus for capturing, servicing, and de-orbiting earth satellites using robotics 7,513,460

U.S. Patent No. Title

The IPP Office facilitates the distribution of Goddarddeveloped software by managing the Software Release 

Process and establishing Software Usage Agreements.

Goddard innovators filed more than 250 New Technology Reports (NTRs) in 2009, 

reflecting the diligent work of the IPP Office to increase technology reporting.

The following were the most frequently requested Goddard 

software programs in 2009:

• Advanced Spacecraft Integration System Test (ASIST)

• CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP)

• Core Flight Executive (cFE)

• Core Flight Software (CFS)

• Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC)

• Integrated Test and Operations Systems (ITOS)

• Multi-Mission Three Axis Stabilized Spacecraft (MTASS) 

Attitude Determination and Sensor Calibration System

• Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation (RHSEG)

• SpaceWire Link and Switch

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 17

Technology Transfer Metrics for 2009 

 Making Our Innovations Available
PRIOR Technology Challenge

At this annual event of the Puerto Rico Institute of Robotics (PRIOR), Nona Minnifield 

Cheeks gave “The Spinoff Lecture,” and Darryl Mitchell presented “Astronaut: Moon, 

Mars & Beyond” about the NASA massively multiplayer online (MMO) game initiative 

that is under development. Additionally, Darryl Mitchell and Enidia Santiago-Arce 

served as judges in two robotics competitions. Goddard IPP also hosted an exhibit 

featuring spinoff products from across the agency. An estimated 6,000 individuals 

attended the event. 

Goddard Celebrates 50 Years of Technology Spinoffs Art Contest 

Goddard’s IPP Office sponsored a special art contest for students in 6th through 

12th grades, encouraging them to create illustrations that depicted the utilization of 

technology investments through technology transfer, or spinoff. 

Goddard IPP presented the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service with 

the winning image from the “Goddard Celebrates 50 Years of Technology Spinoffs Art 

Contest” held in spring 2009. The image was created by Ja Hyun “Ashely” Lim of North 

County High School (Glen Burnie, Maryland). Ms. Lim painted a juxtaposition of the 

Statue of Liberty (maintained by the Park Service) and a Kennedy Space Center launch 

pad to represent how Goddard’s IC531 anticorrosion coating technology was first used 

on the launch gantries and later on the Statue of Liberty. Approximately 200 students 

attended the event from two NASA Explorer Schools: Dr. Albert Einstein Academy 

(Elizabeth, New Jersey) and the Steinway 

Intermediate School (Astoria, New York).

Technology Transfer Manager Darryl Mitchell gave a presentation about NASA’s new MMO game at the 

Puerto Rico Institute of Robotics Second Annual Technology Challenge & VEX Robotics Puerto Rico 

Championship in December 2009.

Throughout the year, the IPP Office supports a variety of outreach efforts to engage and educate innovators, program managers, and potential partners about the 

collaborative opportunities available through the IPP and to encourage the growth of new relationships and awareness of Goddard’s leadership. One of the most 

important aspects of this outreach is participation in a wide variety of networking and recognition events.

Student Education Outreach

Goddard’s IPP Office participates in student education events to encourage the next generation of scientists and inventors to learn more about NASA and Goddard as well as to 

encourage them to consider becoming a part of the NASA team.

The winning student artist, Ja Hyun “Ashely” 

Lim, is shown here being presented with her 

certificate by former NASA Deputy Administrator 

and veteran shuttle astronaut Fred Gregory. Ms. Lim’s winning art entry.

18 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Networking, Recognition, and Outreach 

 Propelling Future Collaboration for Forward-Thinking Innovation
Innovator Outreach

Reaching out to innovators both within 

Goddard and across NASA is always 

important as the IPP strives to educate 

civil servants about new technologies 

that are available and understand what 

technologies are needed to fulfill mission 

goals. The IPP frequently sponsors 

mission-driven new technology forums, 

which encourage industries to leverage 

funding resources to develop or improve 

technologies that NASA can then infuse 

into missions. In addition, poster sessions 

and presentations within NASA present 

new available technologies to help 

mission and program managers identify 

technologies at Goddard that may meet 

their needs. n

• Joint-venture workshops 

bring together industries with specific 

interest in Goddard key technologies with 

innovators and managers.

• After-hours business networking events 

facilitate dialogue and tours of facilities 

between key Goddard facility personnel 

and area businesses, universities, and 

government laboratories to identify 

collaboration opportunities for 

future follow-up.

• Targeted industry and 

technology meetings

enable communication with 

partners and licensees in key industries 

that align with highly marketable 

Goddard technologies.

• Technology transfer meetings

provide new information about best 

practices and opportunities for networking 

with potential partners.

• Next Steps in Managing 

Innovation workshops

present information to Small Business 

Innovation Research (SBIR) companies 

about partnership opportunities with NASA 

and ways to move their technologies into 

commercial markets.

(L-R) Ted Swanson, Assistant Chief for Technology, Mechanical Systems Division; Carl Stahle, 

Assistant Chief for Technology, Instrument Systems and Technology Division; and Michael 

Johnson, Chief Technologist, Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate sit on the panel 

“NASA GSFC Technology Thrust and Partnerships Options” with Darryl Mitchell moderating. 

The IPP Office’s Nona Cheeks (left) and the late 

Jim Chern (center) speak with Olaleye Aina, 

President of Epitaxial Technologies LLC (right) at 

the Next Steps in Managing Innovation event.

Wallops Flight Facility’s Geoff Bland gave a presentation 

about “Unmanned Aircraft System Technology for Earth 

Science” at the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Business 

Opportunities through Tech Transfer event.

Business Outreach

IPP Office staff members attend many industry 

and professional networking events each year, 

building on past contacts and adding new 

connections. IPP staff members attend these 

events with the primary goal of expanding 

potential partnerships for Goddard.

Government 

Outreach

The IPP Office attends 

government events to 

keep an open dialogue 

with other government 

agencies in support 

of collaboration; to 

learn about programs, 

technologies, or policy 

advancements; and 

to educate attendees 

about the value of 

Goddard technologies 

and partnerships.

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 19
NASA’s 2009 Project Management Challenge

February 24–25

Gave two presentations—“Leveraging 

NASA’s Technology Assets” and “The 

Spinoff Lecture” for middle school 

students, both by Nona Minnifield 

Cheeks—and hosted an agency-wide 

IPP exhibit

Applied Engineering Technology Directorate 

(AETD) Mini Course

February 26

Presented training to Goddard personnel 

on “Software Intellectual Property 

Protection and the Software Release 

Process” by Ted Mecum, with several 

attendees requesting meetings with IPP 

to discuss specific cases

47th Robert H. Goddard 

Memorial Symposium

March 10

Joined NASA and industry experts to 

network on technology priorities and 

discuss partnership opportunities

AETD Mini Course Series

March 26

Briefed Goddard personnel on 

“The Software Release Process” in a 

presentation by Dale Clarke

Goddard Technical Managers 

Training Course

April 20

Presented “How to Work with GSFC’s 

IPP Office to Benefit NASA, the U.S. 

Economy, and Mankind,” with Nona 

Minnifield Cheeks explaining the 

activities of the Innovative Partnerships 

Program to technology managers

IPP Information Session

April 21

Presented “The Goddard Space Flight 

Center Innovative Partnerships Program 

Office’s Ignition Fund,” with Darryl 

Mitchell and Jim Chern discussing this 

technology development opportunity as 

well as the agency’s Seed Fund

Technical Interchange Forum

May 18

Attended this Lockheed Martin Space 

Systems–hosted event to learn of 

programs and technical capabilities 

of attendees from the scientific and 

technological community, exploring 

possible partnerships that would 

advance missions

NASA’s Business Education Program (BEP)

August 16–21

Presented “Partnership Formation” by 

Nona Minnifield Cheeks, an overview on 

IPP to mid-level managers from across 

NASA and the Navy

NASA’s Earth Science Data System Working 

Group Annual Meeting

October 20

Discussed the importance of early 

reporting of software innovations to 

IPP in a presentation entitled “Software 

Intellectual Property Protection and the 

Software Release Process” by Dale Clarke

17th Annual New Technology 

Reporting Program 

October 29

Hosted this annual event to recognize 

Goddard innovators and successful 

innovation resulting from the center’s 

research and development, with more 

than 100 people in attendance and a 

keynote address from Greg Moores of 

Black & Decker Corporation (see page 8)

To build relationships with Goddard innovators, expand potential industry partnerships, and learn from and work with other federal laboratories, Goddard’s IPP 

Office participated in the following events in 2009.

Innovator Outreach

Goddard IPP Office hosted event

20 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009

Networking, Recognition, and Outreach 

 Establishing Connections on the Path to Collaboration 
Business Outreach

Missouri Regional SBIR Conference

January 15

Presented “SBIR/STTR Program,” with Jim 

Chern discussing how small businesses can 

participate in high-tech research for NASA

Ocean Tomo Live IP Auction

March 26–27

Attended and Nona Minnifield Cheeks presented 

“Through the Eyes of a Seller: Case Studies of the Sale of 

IP” as part of a panel discussion prior to the auction

Next Steps in Managing Innovation

April 2

Collaborated with prime contractors, Ocean Tomo and 

IXPI, Inc., to provide information about patents, licenses, 

and technologies to companies interested in NASA’s 

SBIR program

American Security Challenge

May 21

Discussed Goddard technologies in a presentation 

entitled “Security Applications of Sensing and Detector 

Devices Used for Earth and Space Science Programs” by 

Ted Mecum

Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society 

of North America (RESNA) Annual Conference

June 23

Presented “Learning to Walk: The Secure Ambulation 

Module (S.A.M.),” with Darryl Mitchell discussing 

Goddard’s compliant mechanisms technologies and the 

patent license to Enduro Medical Technology and several 

attendees expressing interest in learning more about 

NASA’s available patent portfolio

Northrop Grumman Space Technology Forum

June 23–25

Attended discussions about progress in 

developing technologies that address the 

hardest problems and technical challenges 

facing government agencies today

ICAP Ocean Tomo IP Conference and Live Auction

July 22–23

Staffed a booth that featured the NASA@Home and 

City display and NASA spinoff products and participated 

in a panel discussion, with Nona Minnifield Cheeks 

discussing “IP Think Tank: The Future of the IP 

Marketplace Existing and Emerging IP Business Models”

Virginia’s SBIR-Max Workshop – Advanced Phase 2 and 

Phase 3 Strategies

July 27

Served on a panel to advise small businesses on how to 

benefit most from their SBIR/STTR experience and 

to encourage them to commercially apply technologies 

developed under the SBIR/STTR program

Military and Aerospace Programmable Logic Devices 

(MAPLD) Conference

August 31–September 3

Discussed Goddard technologies and related partnership 

and licensing opportunities with companies and other 

government agencies in attendance, leading to the 

ongoing development of two Space Act Agreements

SBIR Beyond Phase 2 Conference & 

Technology Showcase

September 21–24

Learned about showcased 

technologies from SBIR Phase 

2 awardees and discussed 

commercialization opportunities

International Astronautical Congress

October 12–16

Co-chaired a session on technology transfer trends and 

presented the paper “Leveraging NASA Technology” by 

Nona Minnifield Cheeks

National SBIR/STTR Conference

November 2–5

Met with representatives from industry, academia, 

other federal laboratories, venture capital firms, and 

angel investors, discussing how to further technology 

development for early- and advanced-stage ventures such 

as SBIR/STTR awardees

Maryland SBIR Innovation and Investment Conference 

November 17

Participated in one-on-one sessions with companies with 

expertise in nanoparticle materials, cryogenic fiber optics, 

high-speed computer data system, and more

Mid-Atlantic SBIR/STTR Conference

November 30–December 2

Attended this event dedicated to enhancing the 

participation of small businesses in NASA’s 

SBIR/STTR programs

Next Steps in Managing Innovation Workshop 

December 8

Hosted this event to discuss potential technology 

applications and advancements for Goddard and 

commercial uses with more than 30 SBIR/STTR 

companies, other small high-tech firms, and universities 

in the northeast region

PRIOR Technology Challenge

December 9–12

Gave presentations, judged robotics competitions, and 

hosted an exhibit (see page 18)

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 21
Goddard IPP Office hosted event

Inter-Agency Working Group for Technology 

Transfer Meeting

January 15

Presented on Goddard’s ground-breaking partnership 

with Ocean Tomo for auctioning exclusive licenses 

for federally owned patents in a presentation entitled 

“NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program” by Nona 

Minnifield Cheeks

American Intellectual Property Law Association 

Mid-Winter Meeting

January 28

Discussed the Ocean Tomo partnership to auction 

exclusive licenses for federally owned patents in a 

presentation delivered by Nona Minnifield Cheeks 

entitled “Technology Transfer and Open Innovation: 

How NASA Uses Partnerships to Benefit the Space 

Program, Business, and Society”

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) 

Mid-Atlantic Region Workshop

January 29

Supported speakers from Wallops Flight Facility 

presenting on their research and the potential for 

corresponding technology transfer and partnering 

opportunities for bio-based products and 

robotics technologies 

FLC Annual Meeting

May 4–6

Participated in two panel discussions, a networking 

session, and an award ceremony, receiving a Regional 

Partnership Award for Innovative Partnerships and 

honorable mentions for two national awards

Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Association 

Annual Meeting

September 13–15

Obtained insights into IP portfolio management, 

including strategies for building, protecting, and getting 

the most value out of the patent portfolio in today’s 

economic climate

FLC Mid-Atlantic Region Annual Conference

September 15-17

Participated on a panel on the “Human Element of 

Technology Transfer,” with Darryl Mitchell as moderator, 

and was recognized for presentations on sensors and 

unmanned aerial vehicle technologies at the May 2009 

American Security Challenge conference

Maryland Licensing Executives Society (LES) 

Chapter Meeting

September 23

Attended and networked with other licensing and 

technology management professionals, identifying new 

business concepts and potential partnership opportunities

Technology Transfer Society Annual Conference

October 2

Presented on the partnership with Ocean Tomo for 

auctioning exclusive licenses for federally owned patents 

in a presentation by Darryl Mitchell entitled “To the 

Highest Bidder: How NASA Sold Technology Rights 

through a Public Auction”

LES Annual Meeting

October 19–21

Presented as a panelist on the topic of “Doing Deals with 

National Labs and Federal Agencies” by Darryl Mitchell

Maryland LES Chapter Meeting 

November 3

Attended meeting where a representative from Merck & 

Co. discussed partnerships and licensing transactions in 

the drugs and compounds market

Government and Technology Transfer Outreach

22 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009
Student and General 

Public Outreach

Annapolis Space Day

February 12

Coordinated technology displays and programs that 

highlighted partnerships between NASA and Maryland 

companies, helping the general public to learn more about 

NASA’s missions, programs, technologies, and spinoffs

Maryland’s Place in Space

May 30

Staffed a booth at this public educational event to 

celebrate Goddard’s 50th anniversary

Goddard Celebrates 50 Years of Technology Spinoffs

June 4

Hosted a celebratory event to commemorate 50 years of 

technology transfer and decades of successful spinoffs, 

including guest speakers who highlighted significant 

technology transfer stories over the past five decades (see 

pages 8–9) and presenting the student art contest winner 

(see page 18)

NASA Day on the Hill

July 8

Attended and hosted a booth with other NASA 

centers to showcase NASA technology and technology 

transfer efforts

INTER television interview

July 15

Participated in an interview with Greg Moores of Black 

& Decker describing the partnership in developing the 

Apollo drill for the lunar surface and how that led to 

today’s cordless tools (see page 8)

STEM Talent Post-Doc 

Symposium and Career Fair

July 22

Attended the event featuring 

Nobel prize-winner and 

senior astrophysicist Dr. John 

Mather and networked with 

many recent postdoctoral 

fellows to discuss current job 

and research opportunities 

in science, technology, 

engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM)

IPP Art Contest Winner 

Recognition

November 13

Presented winning image 

from the spinoffs art 

contest (see page 18) n

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2009 | 23
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Innovative Partnerships Program Office

Building 22, Room 290, Mailstop 504

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

phone: 301.286.5810

fax: 301.286.0301

e-mail: techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov

web: http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov

www.nasa.gov

NP-2010-06-149-GSFC