Sandia microshutter arrays aboard small NASA satellites
Arrays of tiny shutters made at Sandia are serving much the same purpose as home window blinds — helping regulate interior temperatures — aboard small experimental satellites launched in March as part of NASA’s ST5 mission. The mission demonstrated innovative technologies for a new generation of autonomous microsatellites.

Finding airplane short circuits before they cause trouble
A preemptive spark, lasting for nanoseconds, can help find potentially dangerous short circuits hidden in the miles of wiring behind the panels of aging commercial airliners. Patented by Sandia, the rapid technique may make it financially feasible for airlines to quickly diagnose and repair the hard-to-locate intermittent faults that have plagued the industry and cost millions of dollars due to aircraft downtime.

Determining wind turbine efficiency
Throughout most regions of the U.S. and in other places around the world, wind turbines are being used with increasing frequency to generate electricity. As power utilities gear up to generate this environmentally friendly form of energy, engineers are working to determine the efficiency and health of the turbines.

Testing living cells’ influence on nanostructure growth
When the space shuttle Discovery lifted off July 4, it carried unusual cargo — simple brewer’s yeast housed in microscopic glass structures — as part of a Sandia-University of New Mexico experiment. The tiny yeast samples are being tested outside the International Space Station fully exposed to cosmic radiation and the vacuum of outer space.

Report faces future energy challenges
With concerns that energy demand will rapidly increase over the next several years while fossil fuels diminish, Sandia researchers are looking at a new way to meet growing energy challenges — energy surety. “We have taken our surety know-how [from weapons] and applied it to energy,” says Rush Robinett, senior manager of Sandia’s Energy and Infrastructure Futures Group. “ …we are looking at what energy practices can best answer our current needs while not making compromises for future generations.”

Applying energy surety to military bases
Energy systems with high levels of energy surety must be safe — safely supplying energy to end users; secure — using diversified energy sources; reliable — maintaining power when and where needed; sustainable — being able to be maintained indefinitely; and cost-effective — producing energy at an acceptable (and preferably lowest) cost.

High-temp electronics open new era of devices
Downhole instrumentation makers are fiercely competitive, always seeking the kind of edge that high-temperature electronics can give them. “They fight to stay on the [downhole] tool the way NBA players fight to stay in the paint.”— Randy Normann, Sandia team leader.