2013


Taikonaut Teaches 60 Million From Space Station

Space exploration and utilization activities help inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields. All the ISS partners devote some portion of their activities on the station to educational purposes. Many other space agency programs also have an outreach component. Aside from cultivating an interest in STEM, the microgravity environment of space allows students to learn about other physical phenomena in unique ways.

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Sticky GPS Trackers Slow Police Down

Satellite services are also being used by law enforcement in new ways to find and apprehend suspects. StarChase is a GPS-based pursuit management system that reduces the need for dangerous and destructive high-speed vehicle chases. Installed into the front of a law enforcement vehicle, StarChase targets and launches an adhesive GPS-enabled tracking device at fleeing suspect vehicles. Law enforcement can then track the suspect’s car at a safe distance.

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Galileo Beacons Augment COSPAS-SARSAT

Governments cooperate on the use of space assets in search and rescue missions. The Cospas-Sarsat Program is an international effort to improve search and rescue (SAR) operations by outfitting a fleet of satellites to detect radiobeacons activated by parties in distress, then using the data to locate the individuals. SAR repeaters installed on satellites of ESA’s Galileo program were tested in January 2013 for the first time, expanding the suite of satellites capable of detecting radiobeacons.

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NASA Spacecraft-locating Technology Used For Finding Disaster Victims

After a natural disaster, finding survivors amidst rubble is a daunting task. NASA technology used to precisely locate spacecraft has been adapted to detect the heartbeats and breathing of survivors trapped beneath debris. The new device, Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response (FINDER), sends microwave radar signals into rubble and analyzes the pattern of returned signals to detect heartbeats.

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Governance, Education, and Infrastructure

Satellite products and services play an important role in governance, education, and the development and maintenance of infrastructure. Governments around the world rely on satellite communications for programs as diverse as election monitoring, border security, tax collection, distance learning, disaster relief, and national defense.

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…And You Get .5 Mbps…

Space assets can help to improve and monitor government services and public infrastructure. Earth observation satellites can effectively image large swaths of the Earth’s surface, while communications satellites provide connectivity in regions where ground-based communications are costly or difficult. In 2013, the European Union (EU) reached the goal of ensuring 100% of citizens have access to broadband internet services of at least 0.5 megabits per second (Mbps), a feat made possible through satellite internet services to remote regions.

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Know Before They Show

The time and productivity lost waiting for another person at a meeting or social event is another common problem addressed by smartphone GNSS apps. The Glympse app links people prior to an established meeting by collecting data on location, time, and who will attend.

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Getting a Charge with mapZero

Beyond turn-by-turn navigation, GNSS abilities within smartphones are increasingly used to facilitate daily travel experiences. Owners of electric vehicles from cars to Segways are limited by the range of their vehicles, and that distance can vary substantially, depending on driving conditions.

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Global Navigation and Google Glass Provide Direction

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), enable a variety of devices to receive geolocation data. Smartphone users have become accustomed to having this information available at all times, and companies continue to find new ways to provide access to their customers.

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Better Breathing Through Chemistry: Airocide

Purification of air is also critical in space habitats, where breathable atmosphere must be conserved, and venting potentially harmful volatile organic compounds and ethylene gas is not an option. Airocide, a purification system created for the ISS, replaces traditional air filters with a chemistry-based solution: an ultraviolet light activates a series of titanium dioxide-coated rings that oxidize and destroy harmful compounds on contact.

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