NASA Spinoff
Spinoff is an annual premier publication of NASA that successfully commercializes the NASA Technology. For abut more than forty years, the Innovative Partnership Program of NASA has facilitated the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector. This largely benefitted the economy and the global competition. The resulting commercialization thus, contributes to the expansion commercial services and products in the field of industry, medical, science, health, transportation, consumer goods, computer technology, public safety and environmental resources.
From the year 1976, Spinoff has been featuring between 40 and 50 of these commercial services and products. It maintains a searchable database of all the technologies that are published form its inception. The primary objective of spinoff is to foster a sense of awareness of the practical benefits that results from the investment in aerospace development as well as research. The technologies that are highlighted in Spinoff finally benefit the American consumer and global competition.
NASA transfers its technology to the private sector. This process of transmission of NASA technology from the lab to the market place can take place in numerous ways. There is definitely a difference between the NASA Spinoff and NASA Success. A spinoff is a commercial product incorporating the NASA technology or the NASA expertise and it benefits the public; whereas the success is a NASA technology that you will not get in the market, but it still gives benefits to the public. For instance, the NASA technology used to restore the precious artwork, which was spoiled in the fire is considered as a Success technology, as it is not available for sale in the market.
When the spinoff’s [products started emerging from the space technologies, NASA considered the possibility of a yearly report to be presented at the congressional budget hearings. The outcome was black and white technology-utilization program report. The techniques in these reports generated great interest in the technology transfer program, its success and its utilization as a tool for public awareness. The outcomes created much keener interests by the public that NASA took a decision t make them into an attractive publication. Hence, the 1st color edition of spinoff was finally published in the year 1976.
Now every year a new issue started emphasizing the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector. The agency started distributing copies to the academics, politicians, company CEOs, economic decision makers, new media, the public and the professionals in technology transfer. The publication of the NASA’s Spinoff accomplished several goals.
It convinced the justification for continuing the expenditure of the NASA funds. It served as an important tool for educating the media and the public, in general by reporting them the benefits and dispelling the myth of waste taxpayer’s dollars. It reinforced specific interest in the exploration of space. It emphasized the resourcefulness and originality of the American entrepreneurs, inventors, application engineers and the willingness of the agencies of the government for assisting them. It demonstrated the possibility of applying the technology of aerospace in different environments.
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