National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center’s

Innovative Partnerships Program Office

www.nasa.gov

Opening Doors, Building Capabilities

Accomplishments 2010
2 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

Goddard Space Flight Center’s Innovative 

Partnerships Program Office was awarded the 

Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional 

Award for 2010 by the Mid-Atlantic Region of the 

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology 

Transfer.

This award is given annually to recognize the efforts 

of a technology transfer professional or team who 

has demonstrated outstanding work in transferring 

technology in a manner significantly over and above 

what was called for in the normal course of their 

work.

Opening Doors,

 Building Capabilities

 4 | ICB Awards

 6 | ESP’s Cross-Cutting Technologies

 9 | Medical Applications For GSFC Technologies

12 | The IPP Office’s National Impact

14 | Small Business Innovation Research Program

16 | Technology Transfer Metrics

17 | Education Initiatives

18 | Networking and Outreach Events
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 3

For the Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) 

Office, 2010 was a banner year. We received the 

Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional 

Award for 2010 from the Mid-Atlantic Region of 

the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology 

Transfer. As you read about our 2010 activities in this 

Accomplishments Report, keep in mind that these are 

more than discrete transactions and activities. Equally 

important are the pathways we have built and the 

doors we have opened for better and more efficient 

interactions with industry and our colleagues in other 

federal entities. They include our outreach programs, our 

SBIR program, and our technology transfer activities. 

In addition, our education initiatives, such as the NASA 

OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Award, cosponsored by 

Hasbro, encourages young people to become part of the 

NASA workforce of the future.

In our work, we emphasize bringing NASA technology 

to commercial markets in ways that bring new 

capabilities back to NASA. An example is Dr. James 

Tilton’s hierarchical image segmentation (HSEG) 

algorithm for Earth Science image enhancement. Market 

analysis suggested it had medical applications. An 

Open House targeting this sector opened the door to 

a partnership with Bartron Medical Imaging. Today 

that algorithm has been transformed into a tool to 

help specialists interpret medical images called MEDSEGTM. During this transformation, color and additional 

analytical capabilities were built during the work with 

Barton. For scientists and engineers at Goddard, 

these new capabilities are now available for NASA 

missions. Another example is Dr. Stanley Hunter’s 

Three Dimensional Track Imager (3-DTI). The 3-DTI 

is the core of the Advanced Energetic Pair Telescope, 

along with a Compton telescope being proposed for 

a future medium-energy gamma-ray mission. Working 

this time with a Government partner, the Naval Surface 

Warfare Center (NSWC), GSFC technology has been 

transformed into a neutron detector being scaled to fit 

in vehicles, ships, or aircraft and can provide a means for 

detecting nuclear material on ships at standoff distances. 

It may also have utility in other security applications, 

such as detecting high explosives, which are commonly 

used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs). (Medical 

imaging applications are also not far downstream.)

As we look forward to 2011, we will be emphasizing a 

new path: “cloud sourcing.” Leveraging the blogosphere, 

trade shows, and targeted electronic outreach we will be 

building a crescendo of corporate interest leading to an 

open house focused on out-licensing GSFC’s wavefront 

sensing portfolio. As part of this effort we will be 

promoting and opening our doors for partners to utilize 

GSFC’s unique test and evaluation capabilities, including 

our new Optical Calibration Facility.

Of course, what makes our work possible is the 

talent, insight, and creativity of GSFC’s scientists and 

engineers. So I close this introduction by directing 

your attention to the 2010 winners of the Inventions 

and Contributions Awards and the others highlighted 

in this document. Without them, there would be no 

success stories nor could we have won the Outstanding 

Technology Transfer Professional Award from the 

Federal Laboratory Consortium.

What Are We Building, 

and Where Do These Doors Lead Us?

Nona Cheeks, Chief

Innovative Partnerships Program Office

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
4 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

Inventions and Contributions Board Awards

Opening Doors for Exceptional Technologies

For over 50 years, the Inventions and Contributions Board has given awards to NASA scientists for their technological 

contributions which build NASA’s capabilities in space and open doors to the commercial sector. The IPP’s awards liaison 

officer, Dale L. Clarke, summed up the benefits of the ICB awards program best by saying:

“Awards benefit everyone. The inventors receive recognition from their peers for their technology, and the 

cash prize is a nice perk. The awards help bring recognition to NASA and the individual centers for some of 

the great technologies that NASA is developing. Ultimately, the awards are incentives for the development of 

new technologies that benefit NASA and the public. By helping secure these awards for Goddard innovators 

and their technologies, the IPP Office continues in its mission to accelerate technology development.”

From left: Milelene Gunyon 

and Dale Clarke

Tech Brief 

Awards

Cryogenic Pupil Alignment 

Test Architecture for Aberrated 

Pupil Images by Brent Bos, 

David Kubalak, Scott Antonille, 

Raymond Ohl, and John Hagopian 

(Code 551)

Ku Telemetry Modulator for 

Suborbital Vehicles by James 

Bishop, David Newman, Nazrui 

Modhzaki (Code 452), and Steve 

Bunkdick (Code 569)

Loosely Coupled GPS Aided 

INS for Range Safety by 

Raymond Lanzi and Scott 

Heatwole (Code 598)

Cryogenic Scan Mechanism 

for Fourier Transform 

Spectrometer by John Brasunas 

and John Francis (Code 552)

GlastCam: A Telemetry-Driven 

Spacecraft Visualization Tool 

by Dean Chai (Code 600) and Eric 

Stoneking (Code 591)

Perl Module for Constructing 

Date Time Iterators by Curt 

Tilmes (Code 614.5) 

Optimal Padding for the 

Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier 

Transform by David Aronstein 

and Jeffery Smith (Code 551)

Sampling Theorem in Terms of 

the Bandwidth and Sampling 

Interval by Bruce Dean (Code 

551)

Method of Fabricating Radial 

Groove Gratings Using 

Projection Photolithography by 

Dmitri Iazikov, Thomas Mossberg, 

and Christoph Greiner (Code 600)

Superconducting MillimeterWave Bolometer Array by James 

Chervenak, Christine Jhabvala 

(Code 553), Samuel Moseley 

(Code 660), Edward Wollack, and 

Suzanne Staggs (Code 665)

Orbit Determination Toolbox

by Kate Gregory, Keith Speckman, 

Sun Hur-Diaz, Derek Surka, Dave 

Gaylor, Russell Carpenter, and 

Kevin Berry (Code 595)

Reaction Wheel Disturbance 

Modeling Extraction Software 

(RWDMES) by Carl Blaurock 

(Code 600)

Gratings Fabricated on Flat 

Surfaces and Reproduced on 

Non-Flat Substrates by David 

Content (Code 551), Thomas 

Mossberg, Christoph Greiner, and 

Dmitri Iazikov (Code 600)

Systems, Methods, and 

Apparatus of a Nitinol Valve by 

Rebecca Gillespie (Code 695)

Godddard Mission Services 

Evolution Center Message Bus 

(GMSEC MB), R2 by Michael 

Butschky, John Bristow, and 

Arturo Mayorga (Code 581)

GMSEC ANSR by Everette 

Cary, Robert Antonucci, Joseph 

Gurganus, and Peter Hitchener 

(Code 583)

The Small Deflection Energy 

Analyzer (SDEA) by Fred 

Herrero (Code 553)

Cloud Water Content Sensor for 

Sounding Balloons and Small 

UAVs by John Bognar (Code 600)

Small Bolt Torque Tension 

Tester by Alan Posey (Code 543)

Agora: A Comprehensive 

General-Purpose Simulation 

of Attitude and Trajectory 

Dynamics and Control of 

Multiple Spacecraft by Eric 

Stoneking (Code 591)

Ground and Space Radar 

Volume Matching and 

Comparison Software by 

Kenneth Morris and Matthew 

Schwaller (Code 422)

Adaptable Gratings with 

Wavefront Transformation 

Functionality by Dmitri Iazikov, 

Thomas Mossberg, and Christoph 

Greiner (Code 600)

Focusing Diffraction Gratings 

Element with Advanced 

Aberration Control and 

Wavefront Transformation 

Properties by Thomas Mossberg, 

Dmitri Iazikov, and Christoph 

Greiner (Code 600)

Perl Module for Constructing 

Iterators from Hashes by Curt 

Tilmes (Code 614.5)

Discrete Fourier Transform 

(DFT) Analysis in a Complex 

Vector Space by Bruce Dean 

(Code 551)

Optimal Padding for the 

Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier 

Transform by Bruce Dean (Code 

551)

Hybrid AlGaN-SiC Avalanche 

Photo-Diode (APD) for Deep 

UV Photon Detection by 

Fred Herrero (Code 553), John 

Sigwarth, Shahid Aslam, and Akin 

Akturk (Code 670)

Large Format AIGaN P-I-N 

Photodiode Arrays for UV 

Imagers by David Franz (Code 

553) and Shahi Aslam (Code 693)

Visualization in Real-Time 

Experiment (VIRTEx) by 

Benjamin Cervantes (Code 589)

Null Lens Assembly for X-ray 

Mirror Segments by David 

Robinson (Code 543)

Continuous Integration Laser 

Energy Monitor by Jeremy Karsh 

(Code 564)

Global Precipitation Mission 

(GPM) Visualization Tool 

for Validation Network 

Geometrically-Matched 

Ground- and Space-based 

Radar Data by Kenneth Morris 

(Code 613), Matthew Schwaller 

(Code 587), and Liang Liao (Code 

613.1)
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 5

Award Winning Technologies

GSFC’s four ICB representatives, from left: John O. 

Bristow, David C. McComas, Christa D. Peters-Lidard, 

PhD, and Sandra A. Cauffman

Micro-Slit Collimators for 

X-ray/gamma-ray Imaging by 

Michael Appleby, Iain Fraser, and 

Jill Klinger (Code 682)

Magnetometer for Calibrating 

Jovian Fields by Eric Corsini and 

David Hovde (Code 600)

A Novel Volumetric 3D Display 

System with Static Screen by 

Jason Geng (Code 600)

Thermally Conductive Tape 

Based on Carbon Nanotube 

Array by Ali Kashani (Code 600)

Patent 

Application 

Awards

Methods of Determining 

Complete Sensor Requirements 

for Autonomous Mobility by 

Steven Curtis (Code 695)

Step-Frequency ISAR by 

Manohar Deshpande (Code 550)

Low-Temperature Radiometer

by Michael DiPirro, Thomas Hait, 

and James Tuttle (Code 552)

Method of Improving System 

Performance and Survivability 

through Self-Sacrifice by Michael 

Hinchey (Code 585)

High Field Superconducting 

Magnets by Thomas Hait and 

Peter Shirron (Code 552)

Hybrid Architecture Active 

Wavefront Sensing and Control 

System, and Method by Tristam 

Hyde (Code 590), Bruce Dean 

(Code 551), and Lee Feinberg 

(Code 550)

Compact Planar Microwave 

Blocking Filters by Edward 

Wollack (Code 665)

Passively Q-Switched Side 

Pumped Monolithic Ring Laser

by Steven Li (Code 554)

Detector for Dual Band 

Ultraviolet Detection by Bing 

Guan, Laddawan Miko, David 

Franz, Diane Pugel (Code 553), 

and Carl Stahle (Code 550)

Composite Primary Structures 

Subjected to Cryogenic 

and Ambient Loading 

Environments by James Pontius 

(Code 542)

Directed Flux Motor by Andrew 

Wilson, Katherine Strausser, and 

Neil Parikh (Code 600)

System and Method for 

Transferring Telemetry Data 

between a Ground Station and 

a Control Center by Vuong Ly 

(Code 583)

System and Method for 

Embedding Emotion in Logic 

Systems by Steven Curtis (Code 

695)

Joint Assembly by Katherine 

Strausser and Andrew Wilson 

(Code 600)

Walk and Roll Robot by Andrew 

Wilson, Neil Parikh, and Katherine 

Strausser (Code 600)

A Two-Axis Direct Fluid 

Shear Stress Sensor Suited for 

Aerodynamic by Sateesh Bajikar 

(Code 600)

Spring Joint with Overstrain 

Sensor by Peter Phelps and Bryan 

Gaither (Code 602)

Board Action 

Awards

Pivot 2.0:Radiation Hardened, 

Fast Acquisition/Weak Signal 

Tracking GPS Receiver by Steve 

Sirotzky, Luke Winternitz (Code 

596), and Gregory Boegner (Code 

567)

Surface Interaction Model 

for Enhanced Particulate 

Distribution Analysis by David 

Hughes (Code 546) 

Millimeter Wave Polarization 

Transformer by David Chuss, 

Samuel Moseley (Code 660), Giles 

Novak (Code 665), and Edward 

Wollack (Code 600)

An Active, Solid-state, 

3-Dimensional Range Imaging 

System by James Blair, Vibart 

Scott, and Luis Ramos-Izquierdo 

(Code 694)

Broadband Planar Magic-T 

with Low-Phase and Amplitude 

Imbalance by Kongpop U-Yen, 

Edward Wollack, and Terrence 

Doiron (Code 555)

International Polar Orbiter 

Processing Package (IPOPP)

by Zhangshi Yin, James Rice, John 

Bane, Kelvin Brentzel, Patrick 

Coronado, Swarvanu Dasgupta, 

and Glen Gardner (Code 606.3)

Software 

Release Awards

International Polar Orbiter 

Processing Package (IPOPP)

by Zhangshi Yin, James Rice, John 

Bane, Kelvin Brentzel, Patrick 

Coronado, Swarvanu Dasgupta, 

and Glen Gardner (Code 606.3)

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) Memory Manager 

Application Version 1 by David 

Hardison (Code 583) and Maureen 

Bartholomew (Code 580)

GSFC Mission Services 

Evolution Center (GMSEC) 

SystemAgent 2.0. by Chiu Yeung 

and Waka Waktola (Code 583)

Core Flight Software (CFS) 

Stored Command Application 

v.1 by Nicholas Yanchik and 

Maureen Bartholomew (Code 583) 

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) Checksum Application 

Version 1 by Nicholas Yanchick 

and Maureen Bartholomew (Code 

583)

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) File Manager Application 

Version 1 by Susanne Strege 

(Code 583) and Maureen 

Bartholomew (Code 583)

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) Scheduler Application 

Version 1 by David Kobe (Code 

583) and Maureen Bartholomew 

(Code 580)

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) Data Storage Application 

Version 1 by Robert McGraw and 

Maureen Bartholomew (Code 583)

Core Flight Software System 

(CFS) Health and Safety 

Application Version 1 by Alan 

Cudmore, Maureen Bartholomew, 

and Alexander Schoening (Code 

583)

Goddard Mission Services 

Evolution Center Architecture 

Application Programming 

Interface (GMSEC Architecture 

API) v.3.0 by Eric Martin, Vuong 

Ly, Rick Woods, Robert Wiegand, 

and Matthew Handy (Code 583)

Core Flight Software (CFS) 

Limit Checker Application v.1

by David Hardison (Code 583) 

and Maureen Bartholomew (Code 

580)

LIS 5.0 by Tian Yudong (Code 

614)

System and Method for 

Transferring Telemetry Data 

between a Ground Station and a 

Control Center by Vuong Ly and 

Timothy Ray (Code 584)

Ground and Space Radar 

Volume Matching and 

Comparison Software by 

Kenneth Morris and Matthew 

Schwaller (Code 422)

Core HSEG Software Package

by James Tilton (Code 606)

SLE Forward CLTU Service by 

Timothy Ray (Code 583)

Range Safety Algorithm 

Software Module for an 

Autonomous Flight by Raymond 

Lanzi (Code 598) and James 

Simpson (Code 591)

Scalable Integrated MultiMission Support System 

(SIMSS) Simulator Release 2.0 

for GMSEC (Goddard Mission 

Services Evolution Center) by 

Taylor Casey, John Kim, Sarma 

Velamuri, and Travis Bemann 

(Code 452)
6 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

Promoting Development of Cross-Cutting Technologies 

Goddard’s Exploration Systems Project (Code 455) provides essential 

enabling technologies for future NASA exploration missions. By emphasizing 

and promoting the development and utilization of “cross-cutting” technologies, 

the Exploration Systems Project and the Innovative Partnerships Program 

Office have pursued the goal of maximizing the return on investment of 

taxpayer funding by reapplying and repurposing existing technologies from 

one application to another. Earlier this year, we interviewed Mike Weiss 

(Project Manager), Neal Barthelme (Deputy Project Manager), and Ron Leung 

(Senior Mission Systems Engineer), three senior members of the Exploration 

Systems Project team, to get a better understanding of what they do and why 

it is so important.

Photo courtesy of Chris Gunn

Left to Right: Ron Leung, Neal 

Barthelme, Mike Weiss

The Exploration Systems Project plays a vital role 

at Goddard in developing technologies for space 

exploration. According to Project Manager Mike Weiss, 

“We’re the front door for Goddard’s contributions to 

NASA’s Exploration activities, providing technologies 

and engineering services that enable NASA to expand 

space exploration capabilities beyond Low Earth Orbit 

(LEO).” According to Mr. Weiss, a technological 

paradigm shift is needed on several fronts to enable 

future space exploration missions. “We need to move 

beyond current space system architectures to systems 

that include distributed avionics, non-satellite-based 

GPS navigation capabilities, cryogenic fuel management 

systems, advanced materials, higher data rate 

communication systems, and autonomous rendezvous 

and docking sensors and software.” 

One of the key aspects of the Explorations Systems 

Project’s approach to technology development is to 

focus on multi-purpose technologies which can be used 

in a wide range of different applications, both in space 

and on Earth. As Senior Missions Systems Engineer 

Ron Leung explains, “Our experience in supporting 

Earth and space science missions has provided us with 

a lot of experience developing enabling technologies. 

Our goal now is to leverage that experience, and the 

technologies we’ve developed, for other applications. 

These can include missions within NASA, but they 

can also include commercial applications. We call this 

‘cross-cutting’.”

Neal Barthelme, Deputy Project Manager, elaborated on 

this idea of “cross-cutting,” saying, “Think of it in terms 

of multiuse and multifunction. If a technology we’ve 

developed for a previous mission solves a new problem, 

we don’t have to reinvent it. These technologies 

developed for science missions can then ‘cut across’ and 

support other missions and applications.” 

The Exploration Systems Project oversees technology 

development in a wide range of fields, including 

optical communications and standards. “This type 

of communication architecture is the sort of thing 

everybody has to have. For example, right now, we 

really can’t pipe down a lot of high-definition video 

from space. Optical will let us do that,” said Mr. Leung. 

Mr. Barthelme added that these technologies could 

ostensibly extend the internet to distant locations such 

as the moon and Mars. 

The Exploration Systems Project also has a track record 

of success when it comes to commercializing their 

technologies. “One of our success stories is LIDAR 

[light detection and ranging],” said Mr. Leung. “The 

technologies we’ve developed have been used for 

applications such as vegetation mapping, altimetry, and 

climatology, including weather prediction and global 

warming.”

Looking to the future of the Exploration Systems 

Project, Mr. Weiss reiterated his commitment to 

developing the crucial enabling technologies that meet 

pressing 

needs, and 

emphasized 

the importance 

of keeping 

an open mind 

when sourcing 

technologies 

from within 

NASA. “As NASA expands its exploration capabilities 

beyond LEO, new technologies that enable both the 

exploration architectures and the science data return 

capabilities will be needed. We support the idea of ‘one 

NASA’ in which we’re no longer just a collection of 

centers, each with one specific and separate mission, 

but instead we’re part of this larger entity. Within that 

environment, any technology should be considered if it 

can solve a NASA problem, irrespective of where that 

technology originated. And once you start doing that — 

thinking about how something you’ve invented for one 

purpose can be applied to another — you start seeing 

all sorts of other possibilities for your technologies, 

including commercial. There are so many opportunities 

here; we want to take full advantage of as many of them 

as we can.”
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 7

NASA missions involve a wide variety of specialized components provided by many different 

vendors, some of which may have been repurposed, and thus were never intended to interface 

with each other. For these disparate components to be successfully integrated, they must be able 

to communicate with any number of other components to avoid any system malfunctions or 

failures.

To address issues of communications compatibility, a Goddard team, headed by Program Manager 

Tom Jackson, has developed the Distributed System Integration Lab Communications Adapter 

Set (DSILCAS). DSILCAS (GSC-15501-1) uses standard IP networking to connect geographically 

distributed components, which natively use non-IP communication modes. This makes each 

component appear to the others as if they were directly linked via wired connection— even 

though components could be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.

The DSILCAS system consists of two independent but associated elements: the DSIL Interface 

Unit (DSILIU) (GSC-15847-1) and the DSIL Communication Adapter (DSILCA) (GSC-15846-

1). The DSILIU’s primary function is to transfer non-IP data over an IP network, to another 

DSILIU. Whatever goes in one DSILIU comes out the other side on another DSILIU, reliably and 

in order. The DSILCA is used as a media converter between IP and link layer protocols, allowing 

data to be transmitted from a local or remote system via TCP or UDP, converted to raw Ethernet, 

encapsulated/encoded into radio bitstreams, and used to set or clear discrete signals.

Another key compatibility tool is the Gold Standard Test Set (GSTS) (GSC 15873-1). It is a 

turn-key software/hardware solution that offers the ability to quickly and easily verify a system’s 

compliance with a selected subset of the C3I 

standard via a simple but powerful X-Windows 

based GUI and pre-defined test scripts. 

Developing and deploying the DSILCAS and 

GSTS systems have provided the GSFC team with 

extensive experience in NASA’s C3I standards, IP 

networking, and DSNET communications. There 

are numerous terrestrial applications, such as sensor 

and detection networks, security systems, “smart 

grid” control systems, and others, where various 

hardware and software components all need to 

communicate seamlessly.

By using these tools, administrators and designers 

of large, complex network architectures can reduce 

hardware risks and costs significantly by ensuring that 

new components will be 100% in compliance with 

communication protocols. 

Cryogenic fuels, such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, have been 

used to power vehicles into space for over 50 years, because these 

propellants allow a greater percentage of the vehicle’s initial mass to be 

devoted to payload. However, their use to this point has been limited to 

launch vehicles due to storage limitations inherent to cryogenic fluids, 

namely the fact that these fluids boil at temperatures only slightly above 

absolute zero. As the liquid boils, the resulting hydrogen gas needs to be 

vented, resulting in wasted fuel.

To address this problem, the Goddard Cryogenics and Fluids Branch 

(Code 552) is developing cryogenic propellant storage and transfer 

(CPST) technologies, such as the thermodynamic cryogen subcooler 

(TCS) (GSC-15603-1), to enable longer, vent-free storage times.

According to Goddard scientist Shuvo Mustafi, this system will 

“subcool” the liquid hydrogen to below its 20 Kelvin boiling point 

at one atmosphere pressure, by using a small fraction of the liquid 

hydrogen supplied to the propellant tank for launch to chill the bulk 

hydrogen in the propellant tank 

that will be launched. This will 

reduce cryogenic propellant boiloff, and deliver months of ventfree cryogenic propellant storage.

Back on Earth, hydrogen is being 

widely hailed as the “fuel of the 

future,” offering clean, renewable 

energy for applications such as 

automobiles and fuel cells. As 

hydrogen is adopted as a fuel 

source, the ability to efficiently 

store hydrogen is likely to be an 

increasingly important commercial 

need in the upcoming years. 

Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships 

Program Office is currently 

working with the inventors in the 

Cryogenics and Fluids Branch 

to find industry partners to 

help continue developing these 

advanced cryogenic storage 

technologies and eventually to 

bring them to market.

Shuvo Mustafi makes 

adjustments to a model of a 

new Thermodynamic Cryogen 

Subcooling System that is being 

designed to enable longer space 

flights.

Cryogenic Fluid Management

Exploration Systems Project Technologies 

Building Capabilities for Future NASA Missions and Commercial Applications

Photo courtesy of Chris Gunn

Compatibility Tools for Hardware Development

The GSTS hardware itself is 

housed in a portable enclosure, 

which contains multiple Gigabit 

Ethernet, LVDS/RS-422 radio, and 

IRIG-B interfaces.
8 | Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

As NASA makes plans for future missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), new communications and avionics 

technologies which meet the stringent requirements of spaceflight, such as scale, power consumption, data 

rates, broadcast range, reliability, and durability will continue to grow in their importance. Also key to NASA’s 

plans are systems which can be expanded to remote astronomical locations as infrastructure is added, 

intelligent systems which can operate autonomously, and systems which use common components and 

architectures. GSFC has a long and successful history of developing avionics and communication systems. 

This experience has produced an abundance of institutional expertise which the IPP Office is currently seeking to transfer to the private sector by way of cooperative R&D and product development.

The Distributed Integrated Modular Avionics (DIMA) architecture, 

being developed by the Exploration Systems Projects Avionics 

Team, will be used to address the problems of developing reliable, 

consistent, and coherent C3I (communications, command, control 

and information) systems for future spacecraft such as the Altair 

Lunar Lander.

A distributed system breaks up the avionics into localized 

controllers, each with its own modular software dedicated to 

supporting those local functions. The distributed architecture will 

enhance system reliability by providing contingency responses, 

enabling independent diverse backups to primary systems, and 

organizing subsystems so that they are isolated via hardware and 

software barriers to prevent one subsystem failure from spreading.

The DIMA architecture will also support the integration of new 

components and system expansion, incorporation of intelligence as 

required, and the capability for self-healing in case of component 

failures. These features will reduce the time spent on costly system 

integration and testing as well as make the systems more reliable.

Using a distributed architecture can provide value in a number 

of commercial applications, including next generation “smart” 

electrical grids, telecommunications, air traffic control systems and 

many others. Some of the advantages of applying this architecture 

include minimizing the impact of subsystem failure and the ability 

to do system maintenance and perform upgrades with minimal 

disruption of services. 

Distributed Integrated Modular 

Avionics

Disruption tolerant networking, as the 

name implies, will enable the formation 

of networks which continue to function 

during delays or disruption events that 

would cause a break in transmission on 

a normal network. This functionality 

could prove invaluable in commercial 

applications, such as medical and disaster 

response communications, where network 

automation, reliability, and data integrity are 

essential.

Adaptive antennas could also provide 

significant value over existing technologies 

by expanding coverage area, providing 

superior link availability, margin, and data 

rate performance, and reducing antenna 

system scale and power usage. Adaptive 

antennas can incorporate multi-band array 

technology to support S, X, and Ka-band 

operations all from a single antenna. As 

wireless communication networks become 

increasingly ubiquitous, companies that 

can provide superior, high-performance 

antennas for their wireless product lines 

may be able to create a distinct competitive 

advantage in the marketplace.

Optical communication is a particularly exciting area 

of research and development, both in space and 

for commercial applications, as optical modes offer 

vastly higher data rates and greater security than 

traditional RF modes. The optical communications 

spectrum is also relatively underutilized on Earth 

when compared to traditional RF frequencies, 

which have become increasingly congested and thus 

are prone to interference problems.

Goddard is currently leading NASA’s only inspace optical communications demonstration, 

leveraging the expertise and experience of its 

Optical Project Office to conduct optical vs. RF 

studies to determine the engineering advantages and 

trade-offs of each. The fruits of these experiments 

will hopefully one day form the basis of the next 

generation of wireless networks.

Disruption Tolerant 

Networks

Adaptive Antennas

Optical Communication

Exploration Systems Project Technologies 

Seeking Partners to Build Advanced Avionics and Communications Capabilities
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 9

In August of 2010, the Food and 

Drug Administration approved 

an image enhancement system 

called MED-SEGTM for use in 

aiding doctors in the evaluation 

and diagnosis of mammogram 

images. The MED-SEGTM system, 

a product of Bartron Medical 

Imaging Inc., has been nearly a 

decade in the making. The basis 

of the system, Goddard scientist 

Dr. James Tilton’s hierarchical 

image segmentation (HSEG) 

algorithm (GSC-14305-1), was 

initially developed to analyze satellite imagery in Earth Science applications, such as 

NASA’s Landsat and Terra missions, with no thought of how it might translate to the 

radiologist’s office. It wasn’t until the Innovative Partnerships Program Office held a 

workshop for GSFC innovators and members of private industry that the utility of 

the HSEG algorithm as a cancer diagnostic tool was realized. As a result of the long 

term efforts of the Innovative Partnerships Program Office, GSFC technology has 

now been successfully applied to the cause of saving women’s lives by enhancing early 

breast cancer diagnostic capabilities.

MED-SEGTM has been installed at the University of Connecticut Health Center, and 

other potential evaluation sites include New York University Medical Center, Yale-New 

Haven Medical Center, and the University of Maryland Medical Center. Currently, 

mammogram analysis is subject to false negatives. As a result, at-risk women are often 

given expensive and uncomfortable MRI’s that are prone to false positives. MEDSEGTM promises to make it easier for doctors to detect and identify areas of interest 

in the mammogram, thereby making the test more useful and potentially avoiding 

unnecessary MRI’s and/or biopsies. 

The version of HSEG which forms the basis of the MED-SEGTM system is now four 

years old. While MED-SEGTM was in development, Dr. Tilton continued his work 

on improving and expanding HSEG’s capabilities. Another possible application for 

HSEG is the fusing of spot LIDAR data with continuous 

coverage image data. This continued development of 

HSEG offers some interesting licensing possibilities 

for markets as diverse as facial recognition, image data 

mining, and crop monitoring. Such possibilities give a 

good indication of the potential value and versatility of 

the HSEG technology.

HSEG, in its native application, segments 

the roof tops of a residential neighborhood.

MED-SEG,TM based on GSFC technology, is 

used to identify areas of interest (highlighted 

in white) from a mammogram image.

A device designed to detect small quantities of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) at 

moderate standoff distances is being examined for applications in medical imaging. 

Co-developed by GSFC scientist Dr. Stanley Hunter and Dr. Noel Guardala of 

the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), the Neutron Imaging Camera (NIC) 

(GSC-15024-1) is based on the results of research originally conducted at GSFC to 

develop the Three-Dimensional Track Imager (3-DTI) for gamma-ray astronomy 

applications.

The Innovative Partnerships Program Office is currently seeking industry partners 

to help continue the development of this astronomy and homeland security 

technology and harness its neutron imaging capabilities for advanced medical 

imaging applications. Neutrons possess inherent characteristics which could 

prove quite advantageous when imaging the human body. Neutrons are able to 

penetrate very deeply, and thus offer the possibility to image anatomical structures 

regardless of where there are located in the body. Neutron imaging can also be 

used to identify and distinguish nearly all of the various chemical elements that 

naturally appear in the human body. Finally, neutrons are unlikely to be destructive 

to delicate biological tissue, as they interact very weakly with matter, and thus 

may provide a safety advantage over other forms of radiation commonly used in 

medical imaging.

Dr. Hunter, with the support of the IPP Office, has engaged in early discussions 

with a medical school concerning the NIC’s potential utility in medical imaging 

applications. Though the technologies at the heart of the NIC were developed 

with little consideration given to medical applications, the IPP Office has 

demonstrated the ability to transfer technologies across sectoral lines, as with the 

HSEG algorithm.

Originally 

designed to 

detect Special 

Nuclear Material 

(SNM) at standoff 

distances, 

the NIC was 

successfully 

tested by placing 

it on a dock with 

a SNM source 

located on a boat 

docked nearby.

HSEG/MED-SEGTM Crossover Success Neutron Imaging: 

Astronomy, Homeland Security, Medical Imaging

Exploring Medical Applications for GSFC Technologies

Unlocking Doors to Critical Health Care Applications
10| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

In our modern world, it is often said that information 

travels at the speed of light. Scientists and engineers 

at Goddard Space Flight Center have developed 

a new laser altimeter system that takes advantage 

of all the information that can be found in even a 

single photon of light. The Slope Imaging Multipolarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL), 

developed for Earth science and planetary mapping 

applications, such as the future ICESat-2 Mission, is 

capable of not only providing the location and shape 

of a given object or feature, but also of helping to 

identify other physical characteristics, such as the 

difference between water and ice, the thickness of 

polar ice, or the height of forest vegetation.

SIMPL uses highly precise detectors and event 

timers to achieve single photon sensitivity. SIMPL 

also contains a novel laser transmitter (GSC-15950-

1) which operates at two wavelengths by frequency 

doubling a near-infrared micropulse laser, thereby 

also producing green light. After each beam is split 

four ways, they are polarized with parallel polarization 

planes. The two colors are then recombined, into 

four plane-polarized beams with co-aligned near 

infrared and green pulse energy. SIMPL is therefore 

able to differentiate planetary features such as water, 

snow and ice, as well as determine vegetation and 

foliage characteristics by the way a target scatters and 

depolarizes the laser pulses

SIMPL’s developers, led by Dr. David Harding, 

Dr. Anthony Yu and Philip Dabney, along with 

the Innovative Partnerships Program Office have 

identified medical imaging as another potential 

application for their technology. For instance, a 

multi-polarization lidar system with single photon 

sensitivity could potentially be used to distinguish 

malignant and benign tumors based on how the 

target scatters and depolarizes the laser pulses. 

Though some forms of laser-based imaging have 

been used for non-invasive “optical sectioning,” the 

integrated technologies demonstrated in the SIMPL 

instrument could enable instantaneous, 

depth-resolved, multi-wavelength, 

polarimetric imaging with single photon 

sensitivity. Though SIMPL is quite large 

and was designed for use on aerial and 

orbital platforms, Dr. Harding is confident 

that the components could be significantly 

miniaturized, making it more suitable for 

the clinical setting. If this can be achieved, 

SIMPL’s underlying technology could one 

day offer doctors a safe, noninvasive tool 

with which to make important medical 

diagnoses.

Laser Imaging

The SIMPL multi-beam laser transmitter mounted in 

the center of the optical bench and the 20cm diameter 

parabolic mirror (top). An artist’s rendering of SIMPL aboard the NASA Lear-25 

collecting multi-beam, two-color altimetry data across icecovered Lake Erie.

Exploring Medical Applications for GSFC Technologies

Unlocking Doors to Critical Health Care Applications
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 11

As we’ve been highlighting in the previous articles, many 

GSFC technologies offer significant value in applications 

scarcely related to the ones for which they were initially 

designed. That theme continues with the proposed In Situ 

Wet Chemistry Laboratory, a portable lab-on-a-chip device 

designed for the chemical analysis of organic molecules. 

Originally designed for exobiology applications— the 

search for and study of biological life forms beyond 

Earth— the In Situ Wet Chemistry Laboratory is a chipscale biochemistry analysis device which will be able to 

identify biological matter such as DNA quickly and at the 

source. Transporting sensitive biological materials all the 

way back to Earth from a location such as Mars would be 

a cumbersome task. The same can also be said of taking 

biological samples in a remote region of the world, such as 

for water quality testing in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the 

preservation of the sample during its transport back to a 

lab is a steep and costly logistical challenge.

The In Situ Wet Chemistry Laboratory combines multiple 

GSFC technologies which will enable these tests to 

be conducted away from the laboratory and without 

large, expensive mass spectrometry equipment. One 

of the major innovations contained in this device is 

the Electrospray Ionization (ESI) chip (GSC-15970-1), 

which contains an ionization nozzle fabricated from 

MEMS technology on a silicon wafer. Developed by 

GSFC principal investigator Yun Zheng, the ESI chip 

will allow samples to be delivered to a miniaturized mass 

spectrometer (still in development) without converting 

them to plasma, a step which often destroys organic 

materials. Another key component of the overall system 

is the ChemFET nanoscale biological detector, which 

electronically detects biomarkers. The ChemFET 

detector has already grabbed the attention of the medical 

community, as developer Dr. Stephanie Getty is currently 

working under a grant from the NIH with the University 

of Maryland, Catholic University, and the National Cancer 

Institute to adapt the ChemFET for the detection of 

biomarkers associated with breast cancer.

The Innovative Partnerships Program Office is working 

diligently to help support the development of this 

technology so that one day it might have as much impact 

here on Earth as it will in the distant reaches of space.

A Chip-scale Biochemistry Laboratory

The ESI nozzle (left end) is fitted onto a standard 

capillary nozzle holder for testing in a lab-scale, 

commercial LC-Mass Spectrometer.

In this diagram, the sample passes through liquid chromatographic separation and 

the ChemFET detector, which tests for biomarkers, and finally is sent to the mass 

spectrometer via the electrospray ionization nozzle.

Exploring Medical Applications for GSFC Technologies

Unlocking Doors to Critical Health Care Applications
12| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

R&D Partnerships

Awardee Location

AdValue Photonics, Inc. Tuscon, AZ

ADVR, Inc. Bozeman, MT

Amplification Technologies Brooklyn, NY

Anasphere Bozeman, MT

Applied NanoFemto Technologies Lowell, MA

Arradiance, Inc. Sudbury, MA

Boulder Nonlinear Systems Lafayette, CO

CFD Research Corporation Huntsville, AL

Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH

Deployable Space Systems Goleta, CA

Discovery Semiconductors Ewing, NJ

Emergent Space Technologies Greenbelt, MD

Hardric Laboratories North Chelmsford, MA

Impact Technologies Rochester, NY

Intelligent Automation, Rockville, MD

International Photonics Consultants Pagosa Springs, CO

LaunchPoint Technologies Goleta, CA

Maxion Technologies Andover, MA

Microcosm Hawthorne, CA

Micro-Space Denver, CO

Neva Ridge Technologies Boulder, CO

Novawave Technologies Redwood City, CA

Numerica Corporation Loveland, CO

Nuvotronics Radford, VA

NVI Greenbelt, MD

Open Research Bethesda, MD

OptiGrate Corporation Orlando, FL

Polatomic Richardson, TX

Pulse Systems Canton, MA

Awardee Location

Advanced Mechanical Technology Watertown, MA

Advanced Optical Systems Huntsville, AL

ADVR, Inc. Bozeman, MT

Aeroprobe Blacksburg, VA

Anasphere Bozeman, MT

Ashwin-Ushas Corp. Holmdel, NJ

Atlas Scientific San Jose, CA

Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. Manassas, VA

Aymont Technology Ballston Spa, NY

Coherent Logix Austin, TX

CoolCAD Electronics Takoma Park, MD

Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH

Decisive Analytics Corporation Arlington, VA

Discovery Semiconductors Ewing, NJ

Dynamic Sensing Technologies Amherst, MA

Dynamic Structures and Materials Franklin, TN

Epitaxial Technologies Baltimore, MD

Fibertek Herndon, VA

Flight Landata North Andover, MA

The National Impact of GSFC’s IPP Office

SBIR Phase 1 2009

Pyxisvision Bristow, VA

Research Support Instruments Lanham, MD

RNET Technologies Dayton, OH

Scientific Solutions North Chelmsford, MA

SJT Micropower Fountain Hills, NJ

Southwest Sciences Santa Fe, NM

Space Micro San Diego, CA

Space Photonics Fayetteville, AR

STAR Cryoelectronics Santa Fe, NM

Starodub Kensington, MD

Structured Materials Industries Piscataway, NJ

Superconducting Systems Billerica, MA

Tech-X Corporation Boulder, CO

Thoughtventions Unlimited Glastonbury, CT

Translume Ann Arbor, MI

Vanilla Aircraft Falls Church, VA

Vescent Photonics Denver, CO

Zeeko Technologies West Lafayette, IN

SBIR Phase 2 2006-2008

Some of the most important work that Goddard’s IPP Office facilitates occurs 

beyond the boundaries of the Goddard Campus. The IPP helps to drive innovation 

and economic growth by partnering with other government entities, universities and 

small businesses. As you can see, Goddard’s impact in 2010 stretched all across 

the nation, creating strong partnership networks and helping to create jobs and 

build the technological base for the economy of the future.

Partner Location

NASA AMES Research Center Moffett Field, CA

NIST Rockville, MD

US Army Research Lab Adelphi, MD

Juxtopia Adelphi, MD

Flight Landata, Inc. North Andover, MA

Mindrum Precision Rancho Cucomonga, CA

Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond Albuquerque, NM

Emergent Space Technologies Greenbelt, MD

University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD

Schneider Optics Hauppauge, NY

ATK Space Systems Commerce, CA 

Air Force Research Laboratory Kirtland AFB, NM

NIST Boulder, CO

Bureau of Indian Education Washington, DC

Office of Scientific Research Kirtland AFB, NM

ITT Space Systems Rochester, NY

Sensing Machines Laurel, MD

USC Information Sciences Institute Arlington, VA

SpaceX Corp. Hawthorne, CA 

LogicNets, Inc. Washington, DC

Northrop Grumman Systems Linthicum, MD

NIST Gaithersburg, MD

Lockheed Martin Newton, PA

Defense Intelligence Agency Washington, DC

Emergent Space Technologies Greenbelt, MD

Office of Naval Research Arlington, VA

ITT Industries Rochester, NY

AFRL/Space Vehicles Directorate Kirtland AFB, NM
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 13

Group4 Labs Menlo Park, CA

Hittite Microwave Corporation Chelmsford, MA

ICs McCall, ID

Intelligent Automation Rockville, MD

k Technology Langhorne, PA

Luminit Torrance, CA

Luxel Corporation Friday Harbor, WA

Maxion Technologies Andover, MA

Microcosm Hawthorne, CA

NP Photonics Tuscon, AZ

Parabon Computation Reston, VA

Phoebus Optoelectronics New York, NY

Physical Optics Corporation Torrance, CA

Polatomic Richardson, TX

QmagiQ Nashua, NH

Quest Product Development Corp. Arvada, CO

RAPT Industries Fremont, CA

Reflective X-ray Optics New York, NY

Remote Sensing Solutions Barnstable, MA

SciberQuest Del Mar, CA

Sequoia Scientific Bellevue, WA

Sigma Space Corporation Lanham, MD

SPEC, Inc. Boulder, CO

Summation Research Melbourne, FL

Tai-Yang Research Corporation Knoxville, TN

Tech-X Corporation Boulder, CO

Toyon Research Corporation Goleta, CA

Virginia Diodes Charlottesville, VA

Vista Photonics Santa Fe, NM

Voxtel, Inc. Beaverton, OR

SBIR Phase 3

Awardee Location

ASRC Aerospace Corp. Greenbelt, MD

Flight Landata, Inc. North Andover, MA

Photon Imaging Northridge, CA

Remote Sensing Solutions Barnstable, MA

TTH Research Laurel, MD

R&D 

Partnerships

SBIR Phase 1 

2009

SBIR Phase 2

2006-2008

SBIR 

Phase 3
14| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

To store and preserve the deluge of important data that results from NASA 

missions, NASA uses its permanent archive called the Virtual Observatory. 

In order to organize and make these data more readily available to the 

scientific community, NASA awarded an SBIR contract to SciberQuest, 

Inc., a leader in remote data mining technologies. 

The company has helped NASA implement state-of-the-art data mining 

by creating an advanced computing infrastructure called Interoperable 

Distributed Data Engine (IDDat). IDDat acts as an add-on to the Virtual 

Observatory and supports processing and remote data analysis of highvolume and widely distributed data. A second piece of technology, 

called RemoteMiner, is a data mining engine that connects to the Virtual 

Observatory via IDDat and enables autonomous parallel mining of large 

data sets. These new capabilities provide NASA with the means to search, 

explore, analyze, and share data from previous spacecraft missions on site 

and remotely. SciberQuest is working with Goddard on an ongoing basis to 

provide the analytical capability to support NASA missions.

In addition to providing analytics that will enhance future NASA missions, 

this technology has several commercial 

applications. SciberQuest is already 

selling this software, generating a 

revenue stream of approximately 

$200,000 annually. The company 

continues to develop this software 

for use in the pharmaceutical, 

bioinformatics, and health care 

industries as well as for companies 

who specialize in fraud detection and 

network intrusion.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is administered by NASA’s Innovative 

Partnerships Program, opens the door for small high-tech companies to participate in government-sponsored 

research and development. The program’s specific objectives are to stimulate U.S. technological innovation, 

use small businesses to meet federal R&D needs, increase private-sector commercialization of innovations 

derived from federal R&D, and foster and encourage participation by socially disadvantaged businesses.

Highlighted here are five examples of SBIR contracts which have produced innovations that can benefit 

NASA missions and are yielding commercial success for these small businesses.

Small Business Innovation Research Program Successes

Building America’s Economy and Creating Jobs One Step at a Time

Precise Measurement of Aspheric Optics

Based in Rochester, New York, QED Technologies, Inc., developed a highly 

sensitive device called the Subaperture Stitching Interferometer (SSI®) 

for measuring spherical surfaces. This device uses a stitching technique 

that measures a series of sections, or subapertures, on an optical surface; 

compiles data from each section; and then stitches it together to obtain a 

complete measurement. Goddard awarded two SBIR contracts to QED to 

apply this same technology to aspheres, which are more difficult to measure 

and manufacture than spheres.

The result was the Aspheric Stitching Interferometer (ASI®), which is fast, 

accurate, flexible, and affordable. NASA verified the technology on a highprecision, mildly aspheric “flight optic” as part of the PICTURE/SHARPI 

missions. 

The company’s ASI® instrument, 

which is capable of measuring almost 

any optical surface, including steep 

aspheres, sells for $500,000, and QED 

Technologies has already sold systems 

across North America, Asia, and 

Europe. In addition to its benefits for 

NASA, the technology also can be 

applied to several commercial industries 

that require large, high-precision optical 

surfaces, including ground-based 

telescopes, lithography systems, and 

satellite and surveillance systems.

SSI and ASI are registered trademarks of QED Technologies, Inc.

Parallel Computing and Analytically Capable 

Data Mining Engine
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 15

When NASA needed to reduce levels of mission funding 

and shorten mission development schedules, Internet 

Protocol (IP) technologies and architecture seemed like a 

possible solution. However, despite their huge potential 

(e.g., cost effectiveness, reduced development and 

installation times), IP technologies encounter significant 

performance problems in a space environment due 

to narrow bandwidth, long propagation delays, large 

transmission errors, and unreliable connectivity.

Broadata Communications, Inc., a company specializing in 

IP transmission equipment, proposed a Universal Space IP 

Transparent (USIT) Proxy solution in response to the SBIR 

annual solicitation. The company’s innovative network 

protocol employs a unique, modularized architecture 

that provides accurate network measurements and 

reconfigurations to effectively overcome IP performance 

problems in space links. Broadata’s USIT Proxy software 

system provides a tenfold improvement in network 

throughput when compared to existing state-of-the-art IP 

solutions. 

This innovative technology will support several NASA 

programs, including the IP Operational Networks, Tracking 

and Data Relay Satellite Systems, Deep Space Networks, 

beyond Earth multihop/relay communications, and direct 

line-of-sight near-Earth satellite communications. The 

USIT system has attracted customers from universities 

and local broadcasters, with commercial sales of $200,000 

annually. It can also be used in several other commercial 

applications, including 

wireless Internet 

access networks, radio 

frequency/microwave 

trunking links, 

commercial satellite 

networks, mobile 

enterprise networking, 

and packet cellular 

networks.

Radiation-Hardened Image 

Processing Computer

NASA spacecraft and Earth orbiters capture 

world-class images that provide one-of-a-kind 

glimpses into our universe. However, it can be a 

challenge to conduct real-time image processing 

and storage in the harsh space environment. 

To address this gap in the technology, Goddard 

awarded an SBIR contract to Space Micro, Inc., to 

develop a high-performance, radiation-hardened 

image processing computer for use in space.

Under the contract, Space Micro developed 

the IPC5000TM image processing platform, 

which combines high-performance, low-power, 

radiation-hardened computing and high-speed 

mass memory to meet the challenges of space 

imaging environments. This collaboration has 

been an enormous success for both Space Micro 

and NASA, and now the Department of Defense 

(DoD) has a considerable stake in this technology 

as well. DoD awarded the company a $4 million 

contract to develop an image processing system 

for an upcoming satellite mission. 

Additional applications anticipated for this 

image processing technology include software 

design radio, hyperspectral imaging, logic 

reconfiguration, and high-speed data transfer. 

In Situ Radiometers for 

Oceanographic Research

As NASA 

scientists and 

engineers 

explore the 

world’s oceans, 

they require 

more accurate 

and powerful 

technologies for 

environmental 

surveys, vertical 

profiles, coastal 

monitoring, and 

remote sensing. 

Working 

under an 

SBIR contract, 

Biospherical Instruments Inc. (BSI) developed 

an innovative instrument called the CompactOptical Profiling System (C-OPS). This new 

instrument provides unprecedented capabilities 

to collect high-quality data through the use of 

high-speed microradiometer light sensors, which 

may be networked into complex instruments for 

oceanographic studies.

These new capabilities will greatly enhance 

NASA’s scientific missions across the world’s 

oceans, all while providing more accurate data, 

reducing uncertainties in imaging, and improving 

scientific understanding of interactions between 

the ocean and Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, BSI 

now has a contract with NASA to support the 

next generation of satellite-based marine research, 

specifically the Optical Sensors for Planetary 

Radiant Energy (OSPREy) system. NASA has 

already purchased a number of microradiometer 

systems, and BSI has had numerous commercial 

sales outside of NASA, including to several U.S. 

and international universities.

Universal Space IP Transparent Proxy

IPC5000 is a trademark of Space Micro, Inc.

Small Business Innovation Research Program Successes

Building America’s Economy and Creating Jobs One Step at a Time
16| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

With so much new technology flowing through Goddard 

Space Flight Center, it is critical to ensure that all issues 

pertaining to intellectual property (IP) are kept well in 

order. The GSFC Office of Patent Counsel (OPC) plays a 

vital role in making sure that GSFC retains strategic control 

of all its critical technological innovations and inventions. 

This allows the IPP Office to more effectively manage its 

IP and opens doors to the commercial markets, where IP 

protection is critical.

Chief Patent Counsel Bryan Geurts and his office are 

responsible for identifying, protecting, and managing GSFC 

IP, as well as providing other IP legal services, for example 

trademark, copyright and trade secrets services.

The IPP Office strongly encourages GSFC innovators 

to keep the OPC in the loop as they generate new 

technologies, with the hopes that potential problems related 

to matters of IP can be averted before they happen. All 

too often, the OPC is called upon only after an IP issue 

elevates to a crisis level. However, according to Mr. Geurts, 

this situation appears to be improving, with more inventors 

proactively approaching the OPC for legal advice and 

guidance. Hopefully this trend will continue, as the OPC 

plays a vital enabling role in the IPP Office’s technology 

transfer operations.

GSFC’s Chief Patent Counsel, Bryan Geurts

Photo Credit: Chris Gunn

Managing NASA Goddard’s Intellectual Property

Opening Doors for GSFC Technologies

Critical to the IPP Office’s mission of making sure that the utility of GSFC technologies is maximized by NASA as well as industry, 

academia, and other government agencies, is the practice of new technology reporting. New Technology Reports (NTRs) serve 

as the official record within NASA that an important innovation has been made. NTRs are stored in a centralized database so 

that the IPP Office can readily locate and promote the virtues of a given technology. Every year, the IPP office carefully examines 

all NTRs and selects some of them for patenting. 2010 was a great year for new technologies at Goddard. For the second year 

in a row, the IPP Office received over 250 NTRs— a credit to the persistence of the IPP Office’s efforts to promote NTR filings. 

From that large group, GSFC received 16 patents, which are listed below.

Patent 

Number

Title

7,762,155 Gear bearings

7,769,488 SMART solar sail

7,739,671 A method and system for direct implementation of formal 

specifications derived mechanically from informal requirements

7,752,608 A method and system for formal analysis, simulation, and 

verification of knowledge-based systems, rule-based systems, and 

expert systems

7,697,759 A split-remerge method for eliminating processing window artifacts 

in recursive hierarchical segmentation

7,765,171 SPAACE: Self properties for an autonomous & autonomic 

computing environment

7,762,523 Miniaturized double latching solenoid valve

7,746,190 Broadband high spurious-suppression microwave waveguide filter 

for polarization-preserving and transformer

Patent 

Number

Title

7,668,796 Enhancing R2D2C requirements based programming with automata 

learning

7,673,089 An extendible USB drive that accepts external media

7,673,089 A double-headed USB drive

7,830,527 Method and apparatus for second harmonic generation and other 

frequency conversion with multiple frequency channels

7,830,224 Compact low-loss planar magic-t with broadband phase and 

amplitude responses

7,811,406 Advanced adhesive bond shape tailoring for large composite 

primary structures subjected to cryogenic and ambient loading 

environments

7,735,385 Actuated ball and socket joint

7,817,087 Relative spacecraft navigation using reflected gps signals
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 17

There are a number of 

internet databases designed 

to provide detailed medical 

and military images for Image 

Processing (IP) and Computer 

Vision (CV) researchers. 

However, NASA images have 

traditionally been difficult 

for researchers to find and 

are often available only in 

hard-to-use formats that don’t 

readily lend themselves to CV and IP.

The new IMAGE SEER database (GSC15967-1) seeks to address this issue. 

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Jacqueline 

Le Moigne and her team, including Tom 

Grubb and Barbara Milner (Code 583) 

as well as student interns Jihad Ashkar 

and Devin Miller, IMAGE SEER 

(IMAGES for Science, Education, 

Experimentation and Research) provides 

an easily readable database of NASA 

benchmark image data. IMAGE SEER 

enables the teaching of CV and IP 

on NASA data, and also provides 

reference data for the validation of 

newly developed CV and IP algorithms. 

This database includes a representative 

sampling of NASA images obtained 

from various Earth, planetary, and 

exploratory science. It also offers a webbased front end for easy access.

One of the primary goals of 

IMAGE SEER is to provide for 

better distribution, utilization, and 

understanding of NASA imagery data 

to the CV and IP university and research 

community. This in turn will increase 

the visibility of GSFC, NASA, and its 

missions. A potential by-product of this 

effort is that GSFC may be better able 

to attract top-level college graduates and 

prepare them for working with NASA 

data. In addition, IMAGE SEER will 

enable researchers to develop new CV 

and IP techniques around this data — 

research from which GSFC and NASA 

may eventually benefit.

http://imageseer.nasa.gov

The NASA OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff 

Award contest leveraged a partnership 

with Hasbro to encourage youth to learn 

about NASA spinoff technologies. “By 

leveraging the similarities between the 

popular TRANSFORMERS character 

and the spinoff of NASA-developed 

technologies to the private sector, we 

had a chance to greatly contribute to 

children’s interest in STEM—that is, 

science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics,” said Darryl Mitchell of 

Goddard’s IPP Office.

The contest encouraged students to 

read NASA’s Spinoff magazine to learn 

how NASA technologies transform 

into everyday Earth-based applications. 

Student contestants chose one of the 

spinoffs from the most recent issue of 

Spinoff, to feature in a 3 to 5-minute 

original video they made themselves 

about why the story they selected is the 

best NASA spinoff of that year.

A panel of NASA judges—one from 

each of the 10 field centers and one 

from Headquarters— evaluated the 

submissions according to the criteria of 

demonstrating proper understanding 

of the technology and the spinoff, 

persuasiveness of presentation, and 

originality and creativity.

“Everyone is a winner in this 

competition: the contestants, the 

innovators, the spinoff companies, and 

more,” said IPP Office Chief Nona 

Cheeks. “The public gains a greater 

awareness of NASA’s technology 

transfer activities as well as the 

importance of NASA programs and 

projects, the NASA researchers who 

develop innovative technologies used in 

NASA missions, and the companies that 

commercialize NASA technology.”

To watch the winning videos, please visit 

the contest’s website at:

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

Education Initiatives

Opening Doors for the NASA Scientists of Tomorrow

Another key aspect of NASA’s mission is to provide educational opportunities for America’s youth. These initiatives are 

designed to encourage young people to learn more about NASA by engaging with them on topics related to science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics. Over the past year, GSFC and the IPP Office have done their part by reaching out and 

connecting with the next generation of potential NASA scientists. 

TRANSFORMERS, OPTIMUS PRIME, and NERF are trademarks of Hasbro and

are used with permission. © 2010 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

IMAGE SEER

Images for Science, Education, Experimentation and Research
18| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

Third Annual GSFC 

Science Poster Party

January 28, 2010, Greenbelt, 

MD

Members of Goddard’s IPP Office 

staffed a booth at this third-annual 

Science and Engineering Directorate 

(SED) onsite event. To foster 

enhanced communication and 

cooperation between directorates for 

technology reporting purposes, IPP 

encouraged attendees to learn more 

about IPP’s role in managing new 

technology reporting, outreach via 

NASA partnership development and 

success stories, and recognition for 

accomplishments.

Science Jamboree

June 2, 2010, Goddard Mall

The Sciences and Exploration Directorate’s 

laboratories, branches, and offices showed off their 

science to the entire Goddard Space Flight Center 

community. Highlights of the Jamboree included: 

live science experiments, show-and-tell, and displays; 

Science Cafe seating area for chatting with colleagues, 

old and new; cajun lunch available for purchase; free 

afternoon refreshments. This was a chance to meet 

people in other directorates, learn about their work, 

and cross-pollinate ideas for interdisciplinary research. 

It’s also a unique learning opportunity for summer 

interns and newly arrived scientists.

Innovator Outreach In order to support innovation, the IPP Office frequently reaches out to innovators, both at GSFC and across 

NASA, to create awareness about new technology developments and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. 

These efforts also include education and training exercises on topics covering all aspects of the technology 

transfer process.

The IPP Office organizes, hosts, and attends a broad range of networking and business outreach events 

throughout the year in order to engage and educate innovators, program managers, the public, and potential 

partners about the collaborative opportunities that the IPP provides. This in turn can offer a variety of 

benefits — creating strategies for making GSFC-developed technologies available for licensing, leveraging 

technologies and capabilities from one NASA mission/project to another, and defining technology transfer 

best practices, to name a few. In this way, we help ensure the maximum return for the public’s investment in 

GSFC and NASA, as space science technologies are leveraged into the private sector, fueling new products 

and markets that can both benefit society and create significant revenue and business opportunities.

Networking and Outreach Events 

IPP staff members and guests at the Third Annual GSFC 

Science Poster Party enjoyed the IPP Office booth, 

featuring new engineering and technology innovations.
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 19

NASA’s PM Challenge 

2010 “Above and Beyond”

February 9-10, 2010, Galveston, 

TX

Representatives of Goddard’s IPP 

Office attended the seventh annual 

Project Management Challenge event. 

During the event, Goddard IPP team 

members moderated a panel discussion 

and gave presentations on “Innovation 

in Intellectual Property Management,” 

and “Reuse of Software by Programs 

and Projects.” This yearly event, 

attended by 5,000 NASA civil servant 

and contractor personnel, enables 

Goddard’s IPP to showcase Goddard 

technology transfer and capability 

successes, both internal to multiple 

NASA missions as well as externally 

for commercialization and partnership 

development.

Celebrate Goddard Day

June 24, 2010, Goddard Mall

This year’s event featured entertainment provided by 

Goddard colleagues, Directorate exhibits, a car show, a 

talent show, tours, diverse food, and the first ever Celebrate 

Goddard Parade. This annual event is designed to highlight 

the diverse skills and individual differences that have made 

our success possible. The Goddard Mall was filled with 

opportunities to learn more about the many parts that make 

up the Goddard mission. Many of the clubs that make up 

the Goddard community were on the Mall as well to share 

information on their activities, giving demonstrations under 

the main tent, and welcoming new members.

Technology Innovation and Technology Transfer Training

June 29, 2010, Goddard Building 1

Ted Mecum primarily (and Dale Clarke to a smaller extent) conducted this training 

which gave Goddard 

employees information 

about the IPP Office, 

the technology transfer 

process, IP management 

(and spinning technology 

out of NASA) as well 

as technology infusion 

(spinning technology or 

capabilities into NASA). 

The course also covered 

why technology transfer 

is important and how to 

submit New Technology 

Reports (NTRs).

A Celebrate Goddard Day attendee explores the 

AETD Table Satellite demonstration to learn about 

how GSFC’s spin-off technologies unite the world.

Goddard’s IPP team members moderated a panel session, 

gave presentations, and helped staff an exhibit booth at 

NASA’s PM Challenge 2010.

Innovator Outreach

Technology 

Manager 

Ted Mecum 

teaches 

innovators at 

GSFC how to 

submit a New 

Technology 

Report at the 

Technology 

Innovation 

and 

Technology 

Transfer 

Training.
20| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

18th Annual New Technology 

Reporting Program

October 20, 2010, Newton White 

Mansion Mitchellville, MD

The Goddard Space Flight Center 

(GSFC) Innovative Partnerships Program 

Office (IPPO) hosted the 18th Annual 

New Technology Reporting Program to 

recognize innovators who actively support 

GSFC technology commercialization 

efforts. Goddard Center and Technical 

management, scientists and engineers 

applauded patent achievements and 

honored the 2010 James Kerley Award 

Winner. The annual event recognizes 

leadership in technology development and the support of outreaching to 

industry for commercial applications of Goddard technology. Refreshments 

were served as Jeff Smith, President of Flight Landata, delivered a keynote 

on successfully partnering with GSFC IPPO to license and commercialize 

the Spacecube technology. 

Keynote speaker, Jeff Smith, Chief 

Executive Officer and Director of Flight 

Landata, discusses his company’s 

successful partnership with NASA.

Annual IRAD Poster Session

December 2, 2010, Goddard Building 8 

Auditorium

The GSFC IPP Office exhibited at the 

Annual IRAD Poster Session to participate 

in inreach activities involving technologies 

and concept studies the Center’s IRAD 

program funded this past fiscal year. At this 

event showcasing R&D achievements, the 

IPP Office participated in opportunities 

to connect, share ideas and forge new 

partnerships that could lead to new 

technologies. The IPP Office aimed to 

reach out to attendees regarding how IPP 

manages partnerships that begin with New 

Technology Reports. IPP staff met with scientists and engineers exhibiting 

at the poster session to learn of the new technologies developed and ensured 

the submission of NTRs and identified areas where IPP can potentially help 

facilitate partnerships. The IPP Office distributed Tech Transfer and Tech Briefs

magazines, brochures on spinoff technologies and partnership opportunities, 

and demonstrated the MMO game “Moon Base Alpha” to attendees as they 

enjoyed refreshments.

IPP Office members Ted Mecum, 

Enidia Santiago-Arce and Dr. 

Bedford Boylston demonstrate 

the MMO game “Moon Base 

Alpha” to Annual IRAD Poster 

Session attendees.

Innovator Outreach

Pittcon 2010

February 28, 2010–March 5, 2010, Orlando, FL

Ted Mecum and Elizabeth Aleiner, both of Goddard’s 

IPP Office, attended the Pittcon® 2010 conference and 

exposition with over 16,000 other technology professionals 

from over 80 countries. The Pittcon conference is the 

premier annual conference and exposition on the laboratory 

sciences, such as analytical chemistry and instrumentation. 

Goddard’s IPP Office attended the conference to introduce 

new Goddard technologies, with the goal of licensing them 

or establishing partnerships to further the technology.

AUTM Annual MeetingSM: Building a Stronger Community

March 18-20, 2010, New Orleans, LA

Goddard IPP Chief, Nona Cheeks, attended the annual meeting 

of the Association of University Technology Managers® 

(AUTM®) organization, with 1,600 in attendance. AUTM’s 

members represent intellectual property managers from more 

than 300 universities, research institutions, teaching hospitals, 

businesses, and government agencies. Ms. Cheeks participated in 

a panel discussion, presented the paper “NASA Goddard’s Open 

Innovation,” and met with industry and academic attendees to 

identify leads for licenses and partnerships. IPP Technology Manager, Ted 

Mecum, assists a participant visiting 

the Goddard booth at Pittcon 2010.

Industry Outreach The IPP Office attends several large technology transfer meetings across the country each year. At these 

events, Goddard technology managers promote GSFC’s capabilities, network with potential research and 

commercialization partners, and learn about new standards for best practices. The IPP also reaches out 

to small businesses to promote economic growth and create new jobs by supporting their participation in 

Goddard technology initiatives.
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 21

The 2nd Annual Open Innovation Summit

August 11-13, 2010, Chicago, IL 

The focus of the “2nd Annual Innovation Summit” was 

to discuss best practices and outcomes in open innovation 

within industry and government. Presentations were given 

by a diverse group of industry and government laboratories. 

Nona Cheeks presented on “NASA Goddard’s Open 

Innovation Experiences.” She also participated in a focus 

group discussion on the nexus of open innovation models in 

government and 

high tech and nonhigh tech industries. 

New business 

contacts and 

examples of open 

innovation resulted 

from the summit.

Licensing Executives Society 

USA/Canada Annual Meeting

September 26-29, 2010, Chicago, IL

Members of the NASA Goddard 

Innovative Partnerships Program Office 

attended the Licensing Executives Society 

(LES) USA/Canada Annual meeting. The 

meeting, themed “Deals, Deals and more 

Deals” focused upon how intellectual 

property (IP) is critical to managing new 

business strategies and ways to use IP 

to maximize opportunities for licensing 

deals. There were many workshops that 

delved into legal and business matters 

that could impact structuring the best and 

worst approach for seeking and perfecting 

licensing deals. 

Industry Outreach

Next Steps in Managing Innovation Workshop

May 12, 2010, Plymouth Meeting, PA

The Next Steps in Managing Innovation Workshop was designed to 

help SBIR companies advance in their Technology Readiness Levels 

(TRLs) in order to license and commercialize their technologies. 

NASA’s IPP office works with businesses to develop advanced 

technologies to benefit NASA as well as impact commercial 

industry. This workshop gave businesses the opportunity to learn 

about avenues for partnership and about the specific technology 

needs of GSFC and other resources for company and technology 

development. Highlights for small businesses that attended included: 

networking with prime contractors, one-on-one meetings with GSFC 

Assitant Chiefs of Technology, and panels on IP management and 

additional partnership resources.

GSFC SBIR/STTR Program Manager Dr. Stephen Rinehart speaks to small 

businesses about the importance of technology development, business success, 

and utilization of their technologies via infusion (internal NASA use) and 

commercialization (technologies to the marketplace).
22| Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010

SBIR Pilot Program with 

Prime Contractors

March 2, 2010, Linthicum, MD

Darryl Mitchell, Goddard IPP 

Sr. Technology Manager, and 

representatives from several other 

NASA field center Small Business 

Innovation Research (SBIR) offices 

met with Northrop Grumman 

representatives to learn about a 

new SBIR pilot program being 

implemented among several prime 

contractors and the Department 

of Defense. The purpose of the 

meeting was to evaluate the potential 

for implementing a similar pilot 

program at NASA to improve the 

return on investment available from 

the SBIR efforts.

ICAP Ocean Tomo 

IP Think Tank and 

Live Auction

March 24-25, 2010, 

San Francisco, CA

IPP staff participated in the 

spring 2010 ICAP Ocean 

Tomo conference, which 

included a live auction of 

several Goddard patent 

portfolio technologies. 

ICAP Ocean Tomo is a 

global intellectual property 

brokerage company that 

assists Goddard’s IPP Office 

with transfer of NASAdeveloped technologies 

to the private sector for 

commercialization.

The 2nd Annual Space 

Entrepreneurship 

Forum

September 15, 2010, 

Washington, DC

The objective of the forum 

was to raise awareness of 

entrepreneurial opportunities 

and areas of growth for AfricanAmerican-owned businesses 

interested in the space industry. 

Nona Cheeks, Chief of 

NASA Goddard’s Innovation 

Partnerships Program Office 

participated in a panel discussion 

on the topic of “Opportunities 

in Government and Commercial Space Industry.” Emphasis on NASA technology commercialization 

partnering practices and opportunities resulted in meetings with several conference attendees about 

NASA technology transfer, SBIR/STTR, and licensing opportunities.

IPP Office Chief Nona Cheeks (far right) networks with other 

attendees of the 2nd Annual Space Entrepreneurship Forum.

Next Steps in Managing 

Innovation Workshop

November 3, 2010, Uniondale, NY

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s 

(GSFC’s) Innovative Partnerships 

Program (IPP) Office held its 

semiannual Next Steps in Managing 

Innovation Workshop on November 3, 

2010 at the Long Island Marriott Hotel 

and Conference Center in Uniondale, 

NY. The workshop focus was for 

NASA GSFC Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small 

Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program contractors along with other 

prime contractors to have the opportunity to learn about new technology access 

channels and how to leverage mutual opportunities of interest. 29 individuals 

from 23 SBIR companies, along with several prime contractors and three GSFC 

Assistant Chiefs of Technology (ACTs) discussed the advancement and use of 

the SBIR technologies.

Northeast Technology 

Exchange Conference

November 1, 2010, Windsor, CT

The Connecticut Center for Advanced 

Technology, Inc. presented the Northeast 

Technology Exchange Conference 

(NeTEC) 2010. NeTEC is the Northeast’s 

primary conference focused on aerospace 

and defense technology transfer where 

emerging technologies with great 

commercial potential are showcased to 

entrepreneurs and investors interested in 

partnership opportunities. NASA Goddard 

Space Flight Center was among nearly 60 

NeTEC 2010 exhibitors. The conference 

integrated presentations from University 

Technology Transfer Offices, OEM’s and Federal Labs, which included a presentation 

by GSFC Innovative Partnerships Program Office’s Sr. Technology Manager, Darryl 

Mitchell, who discussed GSFC technologies available for licensing as well as thrust 

areas of deep research and expertise.

Industry Outreach

IPPO Sr. Technology Manager, Darryl 

Mitchell, shares GSFC emerging 

technologies with NeTEC attendees. 
Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office | Accomplishments 2010 | 23

NASA Day at Maryland Capitol

February 23, 2010, Annapolis, MD

This annual event, sponsored by the Goddard Legislative Affairs Office, provides an 

excellent opportunity to help Maryland lawmakers, students, and other attendees gain a 

better understanding of Goddard’s scientific achievements and positive economic impacts. 

Supporting the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) theme for the event, six members of the 

Goddard IPP team hosted a booth that highlighted HST technologies and spinoffs. Nona 

Cheeks, Goddard’s IPP Chief, and IPP technology managers met with Maryland State 

Representatives to discuss ways to increase the visibility of Goddard’s contributions to the 

state.

Public Service Recognition Week

May 6-8 2010, National Mall, Washington, D.C.

Celebrated since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) is a 

nationwide public education campaign honoring the men and women 

who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and local government 

employees and ensure that our government is the best in the world. From 

the steps of the Capitol to the smallest towns, public servants use the 

week to educate citizens about the work that they do and why they have 

chosen public service careers. Throughout the week, communities take 

this occasion to host events from open houses to parades recognizing 

and thanking their local unsung heroes. The capstone celebration is held 

every year on the National Mall, with more than 100 civilian and military 

agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private companies sponsoring 

interactive and educational exhibits that showcase the innovative and 

quality work performed by public employees.

IPP staff member Elizabeth Aleiner chats with astronaut 

John Grunsfeld at the NASA Day at Maryland Capitol event. 

Grunsfeld played a key role in repairing HST during the fourth 

servicing mission.

Left: A child explores the NASA @ 

Home & City interactive application 

at Public Service Recognition 

Week.

Public Outreach The IPP Office maintains open lines of communication with the general public. The goal of these outreach 

efforts is to increase awareness of all the ways in which GSFC promotes America’s scientific, economic and 

technological growth through public service. 

Right: IPP staff member 

Dale Clark (right) and 

GSFC Public Affairs 

Officer Nina Harris at the 

IPP’s display at Public 

Service Recognition 

Week.
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-2011-3-198-GSFC