NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Aerodynamic Vehicle Design and Martek Biosciences Microalgae Food Supplements to be Honored at 25th National Space

Press Release From: Space Foundation

Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2009

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 11, 2009) A more efficient truck cab design and an algae-based food supplement will be inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame(R) April 2 at the 25th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo.

An aerodynamic fairing concept originally developed for spaceflight was modified by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center to reduce drag on large trucks to improve fuel efficiency and handling. Microalgae studied for use as a food supply, oxygen source and waste disposal catalyst on long-duration interplanetary space missions is the basis for a life-saving food supplement created by Martek Biosciences that is now found in nearly all U.S. infant formulas and in infant formulas in more than 75 other countries.

The Space Technology Hall of Fame(R) was created in 1988 by the Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, to increase public awareness of the benefits resulting from space exploration programs and to encourage further innovation. To date, the Space Foundation has inducted 59 technologies as well as honoring the organizations and individuals who transformed space technology into commercial products that improve the quality of life for all humanity.

The two technologies being honored this year were selected by a prestigious panel of judges representing the National Security Space Office, NASA, the state of Colorado, and former Space Technology Hall of Fame inductees. Dryden and Martek will be recognized at the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner, the capstone event of the 25th National Space Symposium. The premier annual gathering of the global space community, the symposium will take place March 30 - April 2 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

About Dryden's Aerodynamic Vehicle Design

Large objects moving at high speeds 'push' huge quantities of air out of the way, creating high-pressure zones. When the compressed air tries to negotiate an abrupt turn at the back of the vehicle, it creates a low-pressure zone, resulting in significant aerodynamic "drag" and decreased fuel efficiency. Aerospace Engineer Edwin J. Saltzman and his team of engineers at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center applied what they had learned studying this effect on space shuttle and aircraft designs to improving truck design. They found that rounding the vehicle's edges, placing a smooth fairing on its roof, and extending the sides back to the trailer could cut drag by more than 50 percent and increase highway fuel economy by more than 20 percent. Assuming a typical truck drives 100,000 miles annually, these modifications translate to fuel savings of more than 6,000 gallons per year per vehicle. The modifications they tested at Dryden have now been widely adopted around the world.

About Martek Microalgae Food Supplements

Millions of infants and adults around the world benefit from technology that began in the 1980s with the NASA Ames Research Center exploring the use of microalgae as a nutrition source for long-duration space flights. Martek Biosciences, a research and development organization that grew out of that early NASA work, discovered that the crypthecodinium cohnii algae produces high levels of DHA omega-3 fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid), and a fungus (Mortierella alpine) that yields ARA (arachidonic acid), another essential fatty acid. Important to healthy infant development, these essential fatty acids occur naturally in human breast milk, but were not found in infant formulas at the time. To address this deficiency, Martek developed Formulaid, an algae-based baby formula supplement that is particularly vital for premature and low-birth-weight infants and is now consumed by more than 33 million babies worldwide. These vital nutrients are now marketed in the form of life'sDHA(TM) and life'sARA(TM). They are available in supplement form and are found in a range of products for people of all ages. Martek and the National Institutes of Health continue to study the potential benefits of DHA for improved cognitive function and reduced risk of diseases including Alzheimer's.

About the Induction

The Space Foundation is also honoring nine individuals within the inductee organizations whose contributions made these innovative, life-improving technologies a reality. The Space Technology Hall of Fame(R) honorees will be recognized in a private induction ceremony and at the Space Technology Hall of Fame(R) dinner, which will feature Bill Nye The Science Guy(R). A complete list of all Space Technology Hall of Fame inducted technologies, organizations, and individuals can be found online at www.SpaceTechHallofFame.org.

About the 25th National Space Symposium

The Space Foundation's 25th National Space Symposium, the premier annual gathering of the global space community, brings together all sectors of space - civil, commercial, national security, new space entrepreneurship, and finance - to highlight accomplishments and address opportunities and issues facing the global space community today. Themed The Next Space Age, this year's program looks at major shifts in the economies, philosophies, and mechanics of the global space industry.

The symposium offers workshops, forums, panels and presentations covering all aspects of space, a number of special dinners and luncheons and presentation of several prestigious space-related awards. The symposium also includes extensive programs for selected teachers and students, a Space Career Fair, and the Boeing Exhibit Centers representing more than 140 organizations and companies. More than 7,500 registrants, guests, speakers, exhibitors, and media representatives from around the world are expected to attend.

Co-sponsors of the symposium include Aerojet, The Aerospace Corporation, a.i. solutions, Analytical Graphics, Inc., ATK, ARES Corporation, ASRC Federal, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boeing, Braxton Technologies, Cisco Systems, Inc., Cobham, General Dynamics, Hitachi Consulting, Honeywell, IBM, Infinite Links, Integral Systems, Inc., Intelsat General Corporation, International Space University, ITT, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, The Mitre Corporation, Modem Technology Solutions, Inc., New Mexico Space Grant, Northrop Grumman, Pikes Peak Workforce Center, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Raytheon, Regis University, SAIC, SEAKR Engineering, Inc., SERCO, SpaceX, Stellar Solutions, United Launch Alliance, United Space Alliance, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Webster University. Media partners are Aviation Week, Defense Systems, Space News, and Via Satellite.

Online registration and more information, including an updated program agenda, confirmed speaker list, and exhibitor list, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

About the Space Foundation

Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is an international nonprofit organization advancing space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity. A leader in space awareness activities, major industry events, and educational enterprises that bring space into the classroom, the Space Foundation is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. It conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. In addition to the 25th National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation, along with partnering organizations, will also conduct Space Business Forum: New York on June 4, 2009, in New York, N.Y., and Strategic Space and Defense 2009 from Oct. 6 - 8, 2009, in Omaha, Neb. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.

Contact:

Janet Stevens

Director- Communication and Public Outreach

janet@spacefoundation.org

p: (719) 576-8000

f: (719) 576-8801

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