PacSci EMC recently participated as a finalist in NASA's second iTech Forum, competing to have their innovative idea selected as one of the top 10 in a yearlong initiative to find and foster innovative solutions with the potential to benefit NASA and the nation in the future.
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Douglas Terrier, Acting Chief Technologist, NASA presents Peter Current, Steve Nelson, and Bret Omsberg with a certificate recognizing "PacSci EMC as a top 10 finalist of NASA iTech's Cycle 2 on July 13, 2017." Photo Credit: NASA
The teams competed against entrepreneurs presenting their proposed solutions to tough technology challenges to judges consisting of NASA's chief technologists, space industry leaders and potential investors. Hosted by the National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton, Virginia, from July 10-13, the forum brought together finalists from across the U.S. to compete and showcase their innovations.
"NASA iTech is unique in that it reveals groundbreaking technology solutions and provides a catalyst for industry investors, government agencies and small businesses to collaborate with the innovators to mature their technologies for both space and commercial applications," said Kira Blackwell, Innovation program executive in the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The cutting edge technologies presented by the finalists may solve some of the most challenging problems on Earth and have the potential to solve some of NASA's deep space exploration challenges. The technology focus areas for NASA iTech Cycle 2 were: Autonomy, Big Data Data Mining and Machine Learning, Medical Systems and Operations and Radiation Protection and Mitigation. An additional category, X-Factor Innovations: Solutions for Unspecified Future Challenges, was added for Cycle 2 to allow for groundbreaking ideas or technology that may not align precisely with another specific focus area, but could still make a significant impact on future exploration efforts.
PacSci EMCsubmitted its Modular Architecture Propulsion System (MAPS™) under "X-Factor Innovations: Solutions for Unspecified Future Challenges."MAPS takes the equivalent energy found in a tank of toxic liquid fuel and quantizes it into an array of sealed, solid propellant rocket motors safely commanded by a low power, Smart Energetics Architecture (SEA™) bus. MAPS "plug and play" simplicity eliminates tanks, valves, plumbing, and large power supplies while greatly enhancing customer workflows. MAPS is fully operational in 5 milliseconds with a 10+ year on-orbit life.
"The quality of the top ten finalists was eye-opening and judging among the top entrants was extremely close," said Blackwell. "Our goal is for iTech to provide a catalyst for industry investors, government agencies and small businesses to collaborate with the best innovators to mature their technologies for both space and commercial applications and PacSci EMC along with our other our top ten finalists have a bright future ahead."
For more information about NASA iTech, visit: http://www.NASAiTech.com
ABOUT PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC ENERGETIC MATERIALS COMPANY LLC (PacSci EMC):
PacSci EMC has a deep history serving both manned and unmanned space exploration and satellite missions. Our products are used in all phases of space flight beginning with ground-based operations through lift-off/boost, solid rocket booster jettison, payload fairing separation, booster separation, second stage flight, payload separation and flight termination. We have put this expertise to work creating MAPS™, an innovative and highly reliable, non-pressurized, solid propellant, "plug and play" propulsion system for use on CubeSats and SmallSats. For over 65 years, our customers have relied on our expertise and dedication to safety and quality Discover more: https://www.psemc.com/.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720006386/en/
Contacts:
Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PacSci EMC)
Steve Nelson, 661-917-2947
snelson@psemc.com
or
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Va.
Timothy Allen, 615-955-2859
timothy.allen@nianet.org
