
A list of five major areas has been compiled where space exploration has enabled various Green elements of society. They are ranked from one through five based on the overall nature of the impact of the related applications associated with each category. The categories are somewhat arbitrary and the applications are by no means a comprehensive list; however, many of the well auto known linkages have been identified. First and foremost, Environmental and Resource Management deals with the advancements in solar energy, which have been generated for various space and satellite applications that now are leading to significant power production plans globally, especially in the auto mobile in lieu of increased legislative support at the federal and state level. Over the years since the first moon landing, solar panels have been a highly visible symbol associated with the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. In terms of environmental regulations, space research has helped improve the sustainability of the planet via the creation of advanced satellite systems that are used in monitoring the ozone layer, global warming, and deforestation. Environmental and Resource Management auto Solar Energy pioneered photovoltaic solar power systems for spacecraft applications. Solar energy technology has been developed for space programs to expand terrestrial applications including satellites where no other suitable long lasting energy source available Forest Management NASA initiated satellite scanning system monitors and maps forestation by detecting radiation reflected and emitted from trees; Sensors for Environmental Control NASA development of an instrument for use in space life support research led to commercial development of a system to monitor an industrial process stream to assure that water's pH level and air pollution level is within environmental regulations; Oil Spill Control The concept was invented by Petrol Rem, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Penn. Also, Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped to design the tiny beeswax Water Purification Systems NASA developed municipal water treatment system for developing nations, entitled Regenerable Biocide Delivery Unit, using iodine rather than chlorine to kill bacteria; Pool purification automobile space technology designed to sterilize water on spacecraft was applied to swimming pool purification leading to a system that uses two silver copper alloy electrodes that generate silver and copper ions when an electric current passes through them to annihilate bacteria and algae without chemicals Home Insulation NASA derived Barrier to Radiation designed to reflect away percent of the sun's radiant energy from spacecraft leading to significant savings in home heating and cooling costs Home Smoke Detector NASA needed a smoke and fire detector for Skylab, which was America's first space station. Honeywell, Inc. developed the unit for NASA. Second, as a near number one, the category focuses on numerous home and consumer benefits that can be attributed to the space program including water and pool purification systems, which are obvious significant factors for the improvement in the quality of life and the effective utilization of natural resources. Home insulation and smoke detectors are key elements of Green building design, which were developed for obvious reasons for NASA spacecraft in dealing with extreme temperature fluctuations in space and various types of radiation. NASA research on composite materials used to achieve a percent weight reduction in aturbine helicopter, resulting in substantial increase in commercial and military aircraft performance; Enhanced Aircraft Engine Multiple NASA developed technological advancements resulted in a cleaner and more economical commercial aircraft engine known as the high bypass turbofan, featuring a percent reduction in fuel consumption, lower noise levels and emission reductions for carbon compounds; Energy Storage Systems flywheel energy storage system, derived from two NASA sponsored energy storage studies, is a chemical-free, mechanical battery that extracts energy of a rapidly spinning wheel and stores it as electricity with times the capacity of a lead acid battery, helping enable electric vehicles.Transportation ranks number three including key spin developments from space research such as weight-reduction and subsequent fuel efficiency initiatives for commercial aircraft to improve the cost, flexibility, and availability of global travel as well as numerous advanced military aircraft capable of sophisticated tactical maneuvers and carrying heavier cargo. In addition, battery enhancements have been derived from these efforts enabling improvements in electric automobiles. Computer technology: Structural Analysis NASA program, originally created for Green design and controls, has been employed in a broad array of non aerospace applications, such as the automobile industry, manufacture of machine tools, and hardware designs Air Quality Monitors utilizing a NASAn developed, advanced analytical technique software package an air quality monitor system was created for separating the various gases in bulk exhaust streams and determining the amount of specific gases present within the stream for compliance with emissions standards; Virtual Realityresearch allows a user, with assistance from advanced technology devices, to figuratively project oneself into a computergenerated environment, matching the user's head motion, enabling a telepresence experience and simulations for Green building design.
How can anyone not recognize the simplicity of computer systems from the Apollo 11 mission footage or those shown in the movie Apollo 13 versus today's standards? A plethora of software programs for aerodynamic designs in addition to virtual reality systems, including simulators for applications such as the operation of power plants, thermal mapping of cities for Green building design, and large scale citywide water and energy usage. Advanced Lubricants An environmental friendly lubricant designed to support the Space Shuttle Mobile Launcher Platform led to the development of three commercial lubricants for railroad track maintenance, electric power company corrosion prevention, and as a hydraulic fluid with an oxidation life of automobile Fossil fuel vapor recovery and emissions testing the process of recovering and monitoring the vapors of gasoline or other fuels, so that they do not escape into the atmosphere was a critical element for space launch vehicles to ensure the lack of leaks and accurate fuel levels for mission success. Industrial regulation, as a whole, even though there is some overlap with other categories, is a clear number five in terms of overall significance. Many niche applications may be attributed to NASA initiatives including the development of advanced materials and testing for high performance conditions in space which have been transferred to the commercial level such as lubricants, automobile and industrial emissions reductions and analysis for minimizing the effect on global warming.
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