2009
Wild 2 Amino Acid Discovery
Since the 2006 return of NASA’s Stardust spacecraft, scientists have been analyzing captured samples of the comet Wild 2. NASA researchers found that the samples contained a fundamental building block of life—the amino acid glycine—marking the first time an amino acid was found in a comet.
Tactical Communication Advantage with Low Earth Orbiting Satellites
Tactical communications supported by satellites are becoming increasingly important to mobile military units during operations. In June 2009, the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center awarded Iridium a contract to develop a next-generation communications system for a joint U.S. military network technologies program.
Get SMART for Secure, Global, Communications
Communications technologies also play a key role in the security sector because they can deliver communication services unaffected by disruption or lack of terrestrial communications infrastructure.
Poppies Just Look Different from Space
Since 1999, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime has made extensive use of satellite imagery in its Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme (ICPM), helping national governments and the international community monitor and track the production of illicit crops.
Tracking Pirates from Space
Space services are proving their utility in fighting international crime. In January 2009 the U.S. commercial remote sensing firm GeoEye reported that its IKONOS satellite had located and taken high-resolution pictures of the oil supertanker MV Sirius Star in the Indian Ocean after the ship had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Key-turn Satellite Helps India Fight Terrorism
National governments employ satellite-based remote sensing technology to improve their ability to monitor and maintain security of national borders. In the wake of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government accelerated plans for a reconnaissance satellite focused on military applications.
It’s Not Danish TEEK
An example of a transportation technology spinoff is the development of a multi-use foam, called TEEK, that insulates sound, heat, and cold. Invented by researchers from the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, the polyimide foam insulates propellant tanks on the space shuttle.
Tracking Transoceanic Flights
The disappearance and crash of Air France Flight 477 over the Atlantic in June 2009, with 228 passengers and crew aboard, drew attention to a gap in the worldwide aviation system that space services can address. The initial inability of search crews to locate the aircraft stemmed in part from a lack of continuous communication and monitoring capability.
Real-time Transit Information on a Tablet or Phone
GPS tracking delivers valuable service to the public transportation sector. The Washington, D.C., Metro system and the San Francisco Muni Metro both use NextBus, a GPS-based passenger information system that finds the specific location of the metro train or bus.
Ship-tracking Satellites Started Production
Preparing to make advances in the shipping industry is COM DEV, a Canadian satellite manufacturer that is developing a global ship identification and tracking service for use by maritime and coastal authorities.