In the 55 years since NASA first began its operations, it has always pushed research into new places, new methods, and new venues. NASA’s importance to our country and to our future cannot be overstated. NASA has had a hand in many great technological innovations regardless of the application since its inception, from how food is prepared and stored to the very internet on which you read this.
On Wednesday, NASA posted 14 of its patents on product development startup Marblar in a pilot program to allow the public to crowdsource product ideas.?Terry Taylor, Manager of the MSFC Technology Transfer Office?said:
We are excited about partnering with Marblar to reach new audiences. By using crowdsourcing as a way to generate new assessments of NASA technologies, we hope to work with the global community to identify transformative commercial products.
This program and the patents listed are just a handful of what NASA has available for transfer to the public, with over 1000 patented technologies and 400 software codes and analysis tools. In addition to all of the technologies NASA researchers have given us, the idea of crowdsourcing research is one NASA brought to mainstream science.
For centuries scientists have made public their research and ideas in order to improve humanity’s plight or to push the boundaries of science, or to get paid. But it was largely considered a risky move because anyone using the idea could potentially take it further and make more money. NASA has made crowdsourcing research not just mainstream but an art. Asteroids, the International Space Station, even Mars, have all been opened to the public to reach the creative minds not housed within any one place, and who could forget SETI?
Despite struggling to keep politicians and the public aware of its relevance and importance to the U.S. economy and deep budget attacks, NASA continues to drive American innovation and creativity, even in the way in which we get new ideas.
Edited/Published by: SB
