NASA’s 2022 iteration of the annual Spinoff publication features works of 45 companies that used the agency’s technology to develop products and services that address issues on Earth, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spinoff highlights results of commercializing NASA technologies in ways that support economy, human life and environmental health, the space agency said Tuesday.
Highlighted products span multiple applications such as soil cleansing, weather forecasting and reducing virus presence in the air.
For example, companies sustainably produced fresh crops with the help of NASA’s vertical farm research, which introduces ways to grow plants in enclosed places.
Technology originally made to support in-space plant growth now also mitigates the spread of airborne viruses.
“We’ve captured these examples of successful commercialization of NASA technology and research, not only to share the benefits of the space program with the public but to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.