Spinoff Frequently Asked Questions
When and why was Spinoff created?
How do I subscribe to Spinoff?
How does NASA transfer its technology to the private sector?
What is the difference between a "NASA spinoff" and a "NASA success"?How does Spinoff differ from NASA's Tech Briefs publication?
Did NASA invent the ever-popular memory foam found in many consumer applications?
Did NASA invent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?
Did NASA invent barcodes, quartz clocks, or smoke detectors?
Are Tang, Teflon, and Velcro NASA spinoffs?
To foster a greater awareness of the practical benefits resulting from the investment in aerospace research and development. Technologies published in Spinoff ultimately benefit the American consumer and global competition.
When
and why was Spinoff created?
NASA’s Spinoff magazine is the
result of a U.S. Congressional mandate issued through
the Space Act of 1958, whereby NASA was formed. More
specifically, Section 203 of the Act called for dissemination
of NASA research and development to the public.
In 1973 and 1974, NASA issued annual “Technology Utilization Reports” in black
and white print that documented the Space Program’s technology transfer efforts.
These reports were popular with Congress and within NASA, so NASA decided to
transform the annual report into a four-color publication that came to be known
as Spinoff in 1976. The publication has been issued on an annual basis
ever since.
Please be sure to visit our History of Spinoff page
for more information.
Spinoff is widely available in print, on an interactive CD-ROM, and on this Web site. It is circulated amongst the general public, U.S. Congressional leaders, and the NASA aerospace community, as well as at industry trade shows and conferences, public libraries, museums, and academic institutions of all levels, across the world.
Currently, there is not a subscription list. To receive a complimentary copy of the latest issue of Spinoff, you can fill out the request form, or you can contact the National Technology Transfer Center—the clearinghouse for Spinoff publications past and present—by telephone at (800) 678-6882. Please note that there is a cost associated with back issues.
The process of transferring NASA technology from the laboratory to the market can occur in a variety of ways. For a complete list of resources, please visit either http://ipp.nasa.gov/ittp_techres.htm or the Innovation Partnerships Program’s Network Directory in the back of each edition of Spinoff.
A spinoff is a commercialized product that incorporates NASA technology or NASA "know how" and benefits the public, while a success is a NASA technology that is not available on the market but still yields benefits to the public. For example, a NASA technology that was used to restore valuable artwork that was damaged in a fire is considered a “success” because it is not available for sale on the commercial market. You can learn more about NASA successes in the “Partnership Successes” chapter in each issue of Spinoff.
Tech Briefs, a monthly publication, lists licensing opportunities available through NASA, whereas Spinoff, an annual publication, features stories on companies that have successfully commercialized NASA technology. Tech Briefs is written for the scientific and technical community, and Spinoff is written for the general public.
Memory foam, also known as temper foam, was developed under a NASA contract in the 1970s that set out to improve seat cushioning and crash protection for airline pilots and passengers. Memory foam has widespread commercial applications, in addition to the popular mattresses and pillows. For the latest Spinoff article, please visit: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2005/ch_6.html.
No, NASA did not invent MRI technology, but it has contributed to its advances over the years, and elements of NASA technology have been incorporated into MRI techniques. In the mid-1960s, as a prelude to NASA’s Apollo Lunar Landing Program, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed the technology known as digital image processing to allow computer enhancement of Moon pictures. Digital image processing has found a broad array of other applications, particularly in the field of medicine, where it is employed to create and enhance images of the organs in the human body for diagnostic purposes. Two of these advanced body imaging techniques are CT or CATScan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Barcodes were not invented by NASA. NASA developed a special type of barcode for inventory of space shuttle and other space system components that could endure harsh environments, but this should not be mistakened for the original barcode. Similarly, NASA was not the first to use quartz as a piezoelectric material for timekeeping. The first quartz clock dates back to 1927. However in the late 1960s, NASA partnered with a company to make a highly accurate quartz clock. This clock was on the market for a few years but is no longer available. Further, NASA did not invent the smoke detector. NASA’s connection to the modern smoke detector is that it made one with adjustable sensitivity as part of the Skylab project. The device was made commercially available by Honeywell. The consumer could use it to avoid “nuisance” alarms while cooking. Like the quartz clock, this device is no longer available.
Tang, Teflon, and Velcro, are not spinoffs of the Space Program. General Foods developed Tang in 1957, and it has been on supermarket shelves since 1959. In 1962, when astronaut John Glenn performed eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu, launching the powdered drink’s heightened public awareness. NASA also raised the celebrity status of Teflon, a material invented for DuPont in 1938, when the Agency applied it to heat shields, space suits, and cargo hold liners. Velcro was used during the Apollo missions to anchor equipment for astronauts’ convenience in zero gravity situations. Although it is a Swiss invention from the 1940s, it has since been associated with the Space Program.