Browse Resources by Year

2012 – Trends and Events Affecting U.S. Employment

Trends among the six sectors examined have remained fairly consistent over time, with the Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing and Federal Space Research and Technology categories increasing over periods of 1, 5, and 10 years.

2012 – U.S. Space Industry Employment

There are hundreds of space companies distributed throughout the United States, including small businesses with fewer than 50 employees and large organizations with thousands of individuals. A sample of these companies is provided in Exhibit 4c.

2012 – Official U.S. Workforce Statistics

The U.S. space workforce declined by ##% from 2010 to 2011, continuing a five-year trend of annual decreases, with the total now approximately ##% below the average employment level from 2001 to 2011. NASA’s civil service workforce remained relatively steady. Layoffs related to the end of the Space Shuttle program continued to affect former shuttle contractors through 2012, although there were signs of recovery in some space-centric regions by the end of the year.

2012 – MSS Satellite Design Activities

MSS providers offer satellite-based communications directly to consumers through devices such as mobile phones. Traditionally, these satellites have provided basic voice and data services to receivers aboard ships and in…

2012 – Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Space Activities

One MSS industry leader, Iridium, is implementing a major network upgrade. In June 2010, Iridium selected France’s Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor for its second-generation satellite constellation, named Iridium NEXT. The upgraded network will consist of ## active and ## spare satellites, scheduled for launch between 2015 and 2017.[

2012 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Satellite Design Activities

The number of FSS satellites has increased tremendously over the past five years due to the growth of several applications that drive the need for satellite capacity. Deregulation of international…

2012 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities

GEO satellites can allow a signal to be beamed over a wide fixed coverage area, with the potential to reach a third of the Earth’s surface. They are thus ideal for FSS operators, who often use them to send a single data stream to many stationary antennas in one or more continents. FSS satellites provide DTH video or internet services, corporate network connectivity, broadcast video distribution, and secure communications for the military. Of the ## total active satellites in 2012, ## are communications satellites.

NASA Refining Ultrasound for Athletic and Spinal Injuries

NASA’s Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) research team developed training modules and remote guidance techniques that would allow astronauts to perform accurate ultrasounds on patients after just minutes of training.

Curiosity’s X-Ray Instruments Identify Earth Minerals

Since instruments developed for spaceflight often need to withstand harsh conditions and be small and lightweight, they can be used in new or enhanced applications on Earth. By the time the Curiosity rover landed on Mars in August 2012, one of its instruments had already inspired a portable tool for geologists on Earth.

This Shoe Tracks You and then Phones Home

The Aetrex Navistar is a shoe that can be used to track patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia who are at risk of wandering off and becoming lost. Using a GPS receiver and cellular transmitter located in the heel of the shoe, position information is transferred automatically to a secure server.