Date: October 19th 2006

Oct 19, 2006

J D Harrington Headquarters, Washington Phone: 202-358-5241

RELEASE: 06-339

NASA CENTERS HONORED FOR INNOVATIONS

The 44th Annual R&D 100 Awards recognized four NASA centers for excellence in innovation in research and development The technologies demonstrated in the worldwide competition are among the most innovative ideas from academia, government and industry

The NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, and L-3 Communications Electron Technologies, Inc , Torrance, Calif , created the L-3 Communications 999HA Traveling-Wave Tube The tube is a high-power, high-efficiency microwave transmitter that will enable high-data-rate transmissions of science data and video from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and future planetary missions

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md , produced a unique gripping mechanism that has the potential to revolutionize robotics by eliminating the need for specialized end effectors and grippers

End effectors are typically designed for very specific tasks and tend to be limited in the range of objects they can accommodate Goddard's innovative gripper design uses arrays of pins that gently conform to any object's shape then lock into position for an extremely secure, yet gentle hold -- even against significant external force or torque This enables the conformal gripper to grasp and manipulate objects of varying size and shape, securely holding an object's position for repair, machining, or assembly

Scientists at the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va , in partnership with Messier Dowty, Kent, Wash , created a Magnetic Field Response Measurement Acquisition System that eliminates the need for direct contact between sensors and the system being measured This measurement acquisition system may improve aviation safety One application example is in fuel tanks where a wireless sensor would virtually eliminate the possibility of fires and explosions from faulty wires arcing or sparking

Working in conjunction with a number of industry and federal agencies, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif , helped create "explorer," a long-range, untethered, self-powered robotic system to visually inspect natural gas pipelines The system prevents air from coming into contact with the natural gas, ensuring a reliable and safe operation

For information about the awards, visit:

http://www rdmag com

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www nasa gov/home

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: BULK_EMAIL

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

http://www aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/[list]/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

http://www aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/list/[list]

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: