These inductions will occur during the Space Foundation‘s 27th National Space Symposium at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellites, which have broad-reaching applications for national security, logistics and disaster prevention and relief, and Intrifuge CellXpansion technology, which promises help for a wide variety of diseases, will be recognized at a private induction ceremony and at the Space Technology Hall of Fame® dinner on April 14th. The private induction ceremony is sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc., and the Space Technology Hall of Fame® dinner, featuring speaker P.J. O’Rourke, is sponsored by SpaceX. The Space Technology Hall of Fame® honors innovations by organizations and individuals who transform space technology into commercial products that improve life on Earth.
Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellites
Geospatial technology using Earth-imaging satellites has reshaped our view of the world, improving national security, logistics and navigation, mapping, disease and natural disaster tracking and a myriad of other applications. Featuring highly accurate cameras on satellites positioned in orbit above the Earth, the commercial earth-imaging business grew out of Cold War military applications for reconnaissance missions that photographed classified military installations. Today, commercial satellite imagery providers, including Space Technology Hall of Fame® honorees DigitalGlobe, Inc., and GeoEye, Inc., serve worldwide demand for measuring and monitoring the Earth for security, emergency response, environmental assessment, natural resources, real-estate and news purposes. Applications include agriculture, geology, forestry, biodiversity conservation, regional planning, education, intelligence, cartography, seismology and oceanography, including predicting and monitoring earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, droughts and pandemics.
Intrifuge CellXpansion
For decades, medical researchers have taken advantage of the unique aspects of microgravity to develop or grow materials that cannot be made on Earth. For example, cell cultures grown on Earth are only two-dimensional because gravity causes the cells to sink within their growth medium, whereas normal cells grow three-dimensionally in the body. In the 1980s, NASA researchers studying this phenomenon had to halt their work when the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy grounded the Shuttle fleet, thus blocking access to the microgravity of space. As an alternate, they developed a device called the “rotating wall bioreactor” to grow human cells in simulated weightlessness. Today, the bioreactor device is manufactured for commercial sale by Synthecon, Inc. This technology uses a rotating chamber to rapidly cultivate three-dimensional tissues that closely approximate those in the human body. On Earth, this technology provides a fast, affordable source of cells for therapy and research. In space, the output is even faster and more precise. In 2002, Regenetech, Inc., focused on modifications to the bioreactor to produce its own Intrifuge System™ so it could produce expanded cell tissues for specific research. Regenetech, through a special NASA agreement, affordably provides the technology to researchers pursuing rare disease treatments. Regenetech uses its Intrifuge System and intellectual property known as CellXpansion™ to develop a range of therapies and conduct further research. This technology promises help for a wide variety of conditions, including cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, skin ailments and orthopedic applications.
The 2011 Space Technology Hall of Fame organizational inductees are the organizations that developed the technology and refined it for commercial use: NASA Johnson Space Center, Regenetech, Inc., and Synthecon, Inc. All three are based in Houston, Texas. And, the following individuals are also being inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame®:
- Ray Schwarz, chief engineer and co-founder, Synthecon
- Tin Trinh, senior mechanical engineer, NASA Johnson Space Center
- Dr. David Wolf, NASA Astronaut, chief engineer and consultant to Regenetech
- Kyle Shanks, president and co-founder, Regenetech
- Glen T. Odom, director, corporate secretary and co-founder, Regenetech
- H. Lee Murphy III, vice president and co-founder, Regenetech
- Andy Anderson, chairman, Synthecon
- Bill Anderson, president and chief executive officer, Synthecon
