National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Goddard Space Flight CenterGoddard Space Flight Center
https://partnerships.gsfc.nasa.gov
Connecting internal inventors with external partners.
In the 1960s, two famous American establishments were hitting their stride. The first Super Bowl took place in 1967, and two years later, NASA landed men on the Moon. Now, more than five decades later, American football and the space agency are coming together in the name of technology transfer.
What does “STTR” stand for?
A. Small Technology Transfer Research
B. Supporting Technology Transfer Recipients
C. Small Business Technology Transfer (Correct Answer)
D. Science and Technology Teaching Resources
True or False: “IP” is short for “investor potential.”
A. True
B. False (Correct Answer) — Typically this is an acronym for “intellectual property.”
What does “TM” stand for?
A. Technology Manager (Correct Answer)
B. Technology Moderator
C. Technology Modifier
D. Technology Magician
Which patented Goddard technology with applications in cooling electronics was licensed to a Florida-based company called Protodromics LLC in 2020?
A. SpaceCube
B. MERRA Analytic Services
C. Lotus Coating
D. Microscale Electrohydrodynamic Pump (Correct Answer)
True or False: There is only one type of license agreement available to licensees of Goddard technology.
A. True
B. False (Correct Answer) — License agreements can take multiple forms, such as evaluation licenses or exclusive licenses.
What type of technology did Goddard license to Concentric Real Time LLC for search and rescue applications?
A. Spectrometer
B. Receiver (Correct Answer)
C. Radiometer
D. Altimeter
Which Goddard-developed software won NASA’s Software of the Year Award in 2020?
A. NOS^3
B. NASTRAN
C. cFS (Correct Answer)
D. GMSEC
True or False: Goddard-invented Aeropods won a Federal Labs Consortium Award in 2020.
A. True (Correct Answer)
B. False
Which Goddard-developed technology won NASA’s Invention of the Year Award in 2019?
A. Compact Thermal Imager
B. Molecular Adsorber Coating
C. Aeropods
D. Modulated X-Ray Source (Correct Answer)
Who is responsible for reviewing your NTR?
A. Strategic Partnerships Office (Correct Answer)
B. Office of the Chief Technologist
C. Office of General Counsel
D. Software developers
True or False: You only need to submit an NTR if you plan to release your software publicly.
A. True
B. False (Correct Answer) — Any time you develop new software or update existing software, you need to report it through a New Technology Report.
Which one of these entities does NOT need to review your software release package?
A. 508 Compliance
B. Office of General Counsel
C. Office of Small Business Programs (Correct Answer)
D. IT Security
Who is responsible for choosing a software release level?
A. Strategic Partnerships Office
B. Interested parties external to NASA
C. Office of General Counsel
D. Software developers (Correct Answer)
True or False: You must submit an NTR before you can begin the software release process.
A. True (Correct Answer) — Your New Technology Report kicks off the entire software release process.
B. False
Who needs to review your Software Release Request Application?
A. IT Security Office
B. Office of General Counsel
C. Export Control Office
D. All of the above (Correct Answer)
What does “prior art” mean in the context of pursuing a patent?
A. Prototypes of the claimed invention
B. Pre-existing references or documents that can help determine the novelty and non-obviousness of the claimed invention (Correct Answer)
C. Patent illustrations that have the same or similar name as the claimed invention
D. Artwork of the claimed invention created prior to submission of the patent application
True or False: The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 fundamentally changed technology transfer in the United States.
A. True (Correct Answer)
B. False
What is the name for the process that turns an invention into a product that can be manufactured and sold by the private sector?
A. Commercialization (Correct Answer)
B. Transfiguration
C. Spinification
D. Privatization
Which of these is NOT a way you can benefit from participating in technology transfer?
A. Inventors share in royalties from licensed inventions
B. Inventors can earn awards related to technology transfer
C. Inventors can win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas (Correct Answer)
D. Inventors positively contribute to society by helping “spinoff” NASA innovations
True or False: The SBIR/STTR program has a “blackout” period where innovators should not communicate with applicants.
A. True (Correct Answer) — For more information on the SBIR/STTR program schedule, contact quenton.bonds@nasa.gov.
B. False
If you are contacted by SPO, what should you do?
A. Begin negotiations with them
B. Contact SPO (Correct Answer)
C. Tell them your technology isn’t available
D. Ignore them
Which of these is NOT a technology category used in NASA Technology Transfer Program’s patent portfolio?
A. Manufacturing
B. Artificial Intelligence (Correct Answer)
C. Health, Medicine, and Biotechnology
D. Optics
True or False: Since 1976, NASA has documented more than 2,000 spinoff technologies.
A. True — Visit https://spinoff.nasa.gov to read more about NASA innovations that have turned into commercial products.
B. False
What is the name of NASA’s program for startup companies to license technologies with no up-front costs?
A. Launching Startups
B. Tech Matchup
C. Tech for Small Business
D. Startup NASA (Correct Answer)
As of November 2020, how many software packages does Goddard have listed in NASA’s online software catalog?
A. 102
B. 136
C. 155 (Correct Answer)
D. 187
True or False: Innovators will receive aware money for winning NASA’s Software of the Year or Invention of the Year awards.
A. True — In fact, innovators can be eligible for award money just for participating in the nomination process. Please see SPO’s website for more information.
B. False
What Goddard-developed software won NASA’s Software of the Year Aware in 2020?
A. core Flight System (Correct Answer)
B. Worldview
C. General Mission Analysis Tool
D. Core Hierarchical Segmentation Software Package
Which Spinoff was recently inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame?
A. Improved Firefighters Breathing System
B. Audio Conference Bridge Technology (Correct Answer)
C. Liquid Cooled Garments
D. Cochlear Implant
You should only contact SPO with questions AFTER submitting your NTR.
A. True
B. False – It often saves both you and SPO time if you get in touch with any questions before sending your NTR. (Correct Answer)
What is the name of SPO’s achievement-based program to recognize innovator participation in technology transfer?
A. Tech Transfer Experts Program
B. Achievers in Innovation Program
C. Innovation Genius Program
D. Master Innovator Program (Correct Answer)
What type of intellectual property protection is used for creative works, such as novels, screenplays, or poems?
A. Trademark
B. Copyright (Correct Answer)
C. Patent
D. Trade Secret
Publishing your work in a paper is enough to protect it legally.
A. True
B. False –You need to disclose innovations through New Technology Reports before publishing in order to protect your intellectual property. (Correct Answer)
What type of intellectual property protection is used to distinguish one product name or logo from another?
A. Trademark (Correct Answer)
B. Copyright
C. Patent
D. Trade Secret
What year was Robert Goddard’s “Rocket Apparatus” invention patented?
A. 1909
B. 1912
C. 1914 (Correct Answer)
D. 1920
If your name is on the NTR, it will also be on the issued patent.
A. True
B. False – You only become an inventor if your invention is claimed in the issued patent. (Correct Answer)
Which of these is NOT important to include in a lab notebook?
A. Photos from your vacation (Correct Answer)
B. Specific dates and times
C. Names of contributors
D. Timeline of developments
How many Phase I proposals did the NASA SBIR/STTR program select for funding in 2020?
A. 203
B. 325
C. 409 (Correct Answer)
D. 828
How many research institutions across the country are partnering with this year’s Phase I STTR recipients?
A. 18
B. 24
C. 39
D. 45 (Correct Answer)
What is the upper limit of funding that each 2020 Phase I company will receive?
A. $25,000
B. $75,000
C. $100,000
D. $125,000 (Correct Answer)
As of June 1, 2020, how many NTRs have Goddard innovators submitted for Fiscal Year 2020?
A. 152
B. 193
C. 206 (Correct Answer)
D. 217
On June 1, 2019, how many NTRs had Goddard innovators submitted for Fiscal Year 2019?
A. 122 (Correct Answer)
B. 146
C. 189
D. 204
Compared to other NASA centers, where does Goddard currently rank in number of NTRs submitted for Fiscal Year 2020?
A. First Place
B. Second Place (Correct Answer)
C. Third Place
D. Fourth Place
What is the name of the individual at each NASA center who is designated to address software release concerns and questions?
A. Administrator of Software Release (ASR)
B. Representative for Releasing Software (RRS)
C. Official Representative for Software (ORS)
D. Software Release Authority (SRA) (Correct Answer)
What does “SRRA” stand for?
A. Software Reconciling and Redistribution Award
B. Software Responsibility Request Advocate
C. Software Release Request Application (Correct Answer)
D. Software Repository and Release Administration
True or false: You don’t need to file a New Technology Report (NTR) before starting the software release process.
A. True
B. False – An NTR must be in place before you can move forward with releasing your software package. (Correct Answer)
What Goddard technology transfer story was featured in the first edition of NASA’s Spinoff publication in 1976?
A. Transducers for artery screening (Correct Answer)
B. Cables for generator efficiency
C. Sensors for emission testing
D. Lasers for cauterizing wounds
True or false: Your invention will be better protected if you file an NTR before speaking publicly about it.
A. True – NTRs help establish a record of your invention, and they are the first step in protecting your invention with a patent. (Correct Answer)
B. False
What does “SAA” stand for?
A. Space Access for All
B. Spectrometer for Accountability Act
C. Sustaining Accelerometer Abilities
D. Space Act Agreement (Correct Answer)
When did NASA first start printing Spinoff, an annual publication that highlights technology transfer success stories?
A. 1969
B. 1972
C. 1976 (Correct Answer)
D. 1980
True or false: inventors can be involved in the license negotiation process.
A. True
B. False (Correct Answer)
What does “SBIR” stand for?
A. Standard Business Innovation Routines
B. Simply the Best Inventions on Record
C. Starting Businesses In Robotics
D. Small Business Innovation Research (Correct Answer)
How many NTRs do you need to submit to begin participating in the Master Innovator Program?
A. 1
B. 2 (Correct Answer)
C. 3
D. 4
Which NASA center invented the CMOS image sensor, now found in cell phone cameras?
A. Goddard
B. Langley
C. JPL (Correct Answer)
D. Marshall
Which Goddard code submitted the most NTRs in FY2018?
A. Code 550 (Correct Answer)
B. Code 580
C. Code 450
D. Code 560
Which Goddard inventor is SPO’s annual technology transfer award named after?
A. Steve Curtis
B. James Kerley (Correct Answer)
C. Jeannette Benavides
D. Norden Huang
What form of intellectual property protection is most commonly used for Goddard technologies?
A. Trademark
B. Patent (Correct Answer)
C. Copyright
D. Trade Secret
Which of these Goddard technologies is protected with a trademark?
A. Recirculating Advanced Coupled-cavity Etalon Receiver (RACER)
B. Aeropod
C. Modulated X-ray Source (MXS)
D. SpaceCube (Correct Answer)
What Goddard technology was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988?
A. AeroPod
B. Groth Algorithm
C. Ingestible Thermometer Pill
D. NASA Structural Analysis Computer Software (Correct Answer)
Which of these examples is NOT a type of NASA patent license?
A. Nonprofit License (Correct Answer)
B. Commercial License
C. Startup NASA License
D. Evaluation License
How many years does it take for a U.S. patent to expire after the application is filed?
A. 5 years
B. 10 years
C. 15 years
D. 20 years (Correct Answer)
In FY 2019, how many patents were granted to Goddard technologies?
A. 21
B. 31 (Correct Answer)
C. 41
D. 51
Which Goddard innovator received the 2018 James Kerley Award for excellence in technology transfer?
A. Keith Gendreau
B. Geoff Bland
C. Nithin Abraham (Correct Answer)
D. Mike Krainak
What federal institution collaborated with Goddard in 1982 to preserve thousands of aged books using Goddard’s thermal vacuum chamber?
A. Smithsonian Institution
B. Library of Congress (Correct Answer)
C. National Archives
D. National Agricultural Library
How many people have been rescued as a result of Goddard’s Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT)?
A. 500 people
B. 5,500 people
C. 20,000 people
D. 30,000 people (Correct Answer)
Which NASA center submitted the most NTRs for the 2018 fiscal year?
A. Langley
B. Goddard
C. JPL (Correct Answer)
D. Ames
Which NASA centers work resulted in the creation of memory foam?
A. JPL
B. Johnson
C. Ames (Correct Answer)
D. Goddard
License Agreement Steps and Guidelines
Through licensing agreements, companies from all over the United States have commercialized Goddard technologies. A licensing agreement is a legal document that spells out the terms and conditions allowing a company to move forward with the process of turning a NASA technology into a commercial product. Prospective licensees can complete the first steps of licensing online, and as always, they can reach out to the Strategic Partnerships Office for help – email techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov or call (301) 286-5810.
NASA’s online patent portfolio makes it easy to search for technologies relevant to a company’s interests. With diverse categories such as communications, biotechnology, optics, and sensors, it’s worth exploring the portfolio to see what’s available. Use the search bar to find a specific technology or click through the categories to navigate manually. Search for Goddard-developed technologies here. It’s always best to get in touch with a technology manager to discuss the specifics of the case to ensure a good fit.
Apply for Technology License
Once a prospective licensee has settled on a technology to pursue, the application process can begin. NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) will ask for the patent number or patent application number; the title of the invention; the patent issue date (if applicable); the name and contact information for the requesting person, company, or organization; the type of license requested (exclusive, partially exclusive, or nonexclusive); and initial offers for royalty rate schedule, upfront fee, yearly minimums, and milestones. Technology managers and commercialization specialists will evaluate the complete application and provide updates on its status.
Negotiate Terms
The terms of a license agreement can vary depending on the technologies, people, and businesses involved. Each case is different, and SPO technology managers will negotiate with prospective licensees to arrive at an agreement that takes into account the practical application of the innovation, license duration, royalties, and periodic reporting.
A variety of factors can impact licensing fees, including the licensee’s industry, the maturity level of the technology, and the exclusivity level of the license. Once all these details are decided, the agreement is ready to sign.
Sign and Commercialize
After executing the license agreement, licensees can pursue commercialization of the technology. SPO promotes successful technology success stories and shares them in NASA publications, both print and online. Successfully commercialized NASA technologies are called spinoffs – SPO encourages spinoff companies to keep the office updated about progress and achievements.
Resources
Goddard’s The Spark magazine, formerly named Tech Transfer News magazine, is published quarterly by
the Strategic Partnerships Office.
The magazines can be viewed online or downloaded as PDFs.
Magazine Archive
+ Summer 2023 Magazine – Where NASA Goddard is Going with SmallSat Development
+ Spring 2023 Magazine – How Goddard Supports NASA’s Moon to Mars Mission
+ Winter 2022/2023 Magazine – Robert Goddard Cover
+ Fall 2022 Magazine – How Goddard Technologies Provide Climate Data to the World
+ Summer 2022 Magazine – NASA Goddard SmallSats Make a Big Splash in FY22
+ Spring 2022 Magazine – Commercialization Training Camps, Davinci+, GOES-T and more.
+ Fall/Winter 2021 Magazine – Spotlight on Landsat-9, LUCY, The James Webb Space Telescope, and much more.
+Summer 2021 Magazine – SmallSat Solutions – Goddard’s SmallSat Technologies Power Discovery
+ Winter/Spring 2021 Magazine – Up, Up, and Away – Balloon Technology Takes Flight at Goddard
+ Fall 2020 Magazine – Space Tech for Satellites – Goddard Technologies Provide Navigation, Image Stabilization, and More
+ Summer 2020 Magazine – Small Wonders – Shared Launches, Hardware Reliability, and SmallSat Tech at Goddard
+ Spring 2020 Magazine – Catch the Breeze – Science Soars with Aeropods and Kites
+ Winter 2020 Magazine – Crunching Data in the Caribbean – Goddard Tool Connects Businesses with Earth Science Data
+ Fall 2019 Magazine – core Flight System – Goddard Flight Software Helps Missions to Flourish
+ Summer 2019 Magazine – SmallSat Ascension – Small Satellites on the Rise at Goddard
+ Winter/Spring 2019 Magazine – Celebrating 60 Years of Innovation – Spinoffs through the Decades
+ Fall 2018 Magazine – Leveraging Light – The Laser and Optics Edition
+ Summer 2018 Magazine – From Concept to Completion – The SmallSat Edition
+ Summer 2017 Magazine — CubeSat/SmallSat
+ Spring 2015 Magazine — Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
+ Summer 2015 Magazine — Special CubeSat Issue
+ Winter 2015 Magazine — Advanced Electronics
+ Fall 2014 Magazine — Big Data
+ Summer 2014 Magazine — CubeSat/SmallSat
+ Spring 2014 Magazine — Materials Science
+ Winter 2014 Magazine — Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)
+ Fall 2013 Magazine — Innovative Technology Partnerships Office (An Introduction)
+ Summer 2013 Magazine — Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)
+ Spring 2013 Magazine — CubeSat
+ Fall 2012/Winter 2013 Magazine — Sample Analysis at Mars
+ Summer 2012 Magazine — Sharing Earth Science Data
+ Spring 2012 Magazine — Integrated Design Center
+ Winter 2012 Magazine — Opportunities in Propulsion Systems
+ Fall 2011 Magazine — Putting The Pieces Together in Partnerships
+ Summer 2011 Magazine — Automated Software Development Issue
+ Spring 2011 Magazine — GMSEC Issue
+ Winter 2011 Magazine — Wavefront Sensing Issue
+ Fall 2010 Magazine — Medical/Health Care Issue
+ Summer 2010 Magazine — Cross-Cutting Technologies Issue
+ Spring 2010 Magazine — ICB Awards Issue
+ Fall/Winter 2009 Magazine — SDO Special Issue
Acrobat Reader can be downloaded free from the Adobe website. (This link opens a new browser window.)
To make article suggestions for The Spark magazine, please send email to the SPO.
As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this issue of NASA Goddard Tech Transfer News, the GPM mission is the first to coordinate a network of international satellites (current and planned) to produce the next generation of data on global precipitation. The star of the mission is the GPM Core Observatory, launched in February of 2014. It carries an advanced radar/radiometer system and serves as a reference standard that will unify precipitation measurements from the constellation. To do this, technology had to be developed that could link the data from the GPM Core Observatory to ground based measurement systems, validate the data they produced, and calibrate them continually. That technology is D3R.
Dual-wavelength, Dual-polarized Doppler Precipitation Radar (D3R)
Remote Sensing Solutions received a Phase I and Phase II SBIR award to develop the D3R or Dual-wavelength, Dual-polarized Doppler Precipitation Radar specifically for the GPM mission. The goal was to design a portable, all-weather multi-wavelength antenna that would act as the ground base calibration and validation system for GSFC’s cloud and precipitation measuring mission (the GPM mission).
The company leveraged this novel waveform and transceiver design and in a Phase III SBIR project, worked with Colorado State University and GSFC to complete the design of D3R. The radar simultaneously acquires dual-polarized Doppler and reflectivity precipitation volume backscatter measurements in the Ka and Ku band wavelengths with sensitivity close to traditional tube-based precipitation radar but eliminates the blind region.
The design provides the Ku-band ((14 GHz) and Ka-band (35 GHz) channels to receive data from GPM Core Observatory and provide the calibration and validation, or calval, necessary to continually modify the data collection from the constellation. The antenna is a key technology element for this mission as the calval ability allows the mission to constantly update its own performance. Further, acquiring data in Ku and Ka band wavelengths creates a system with multiple “channels” that can see precipitation in clouds from low level rain to high level snow and ice. The multiple channel approach to precipitation measurement is one of the reasons the GPM mission can more precisely quantify precipitation, yielding unprecedented data on global precipitation. It also creates a system that can use improvement algorithms for space-borne and long range ground-based cloud and weather radars (this is the calval component of the system).
Remote Sensing Solutions believes this technology can, with minor modifications, be used for a broad range of “terrestrial” uses and plans to pursue those potential markets.
Possible photo (courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) http://www.remotesensingsolutions.com/instruments/D3R.php#
SPO’s responsibilities include NASA’s mission of technology transfer, as well as partnerships and the SBIR/STTR program. To help us achieve our goals and spin-off NASA technology, please visit https://invention.nasa.gov.
To sign up to receive the SPO newsletter “The Innovation Catalyst” to your email box, please email amy.k.klarup@nasa.gov.
We’d like to wish a happy Star Wars Day to the Goddard community! May the Fourth be with you…always.
NASA Software Catalog
+ Download PDF
2024 Spinoff
+ Download PDF
+ View past issues
Satellite Servicing Projects Division Brochure
+ Download PDF
Outreach initiatives are programs conducted to better educate outside parties about the services that SPO provides to connect NASA staff with potential external partners/collaborators. SPO conducts outreach on a continuous basis to make the outside world aware of opportunities at Goddard related to technology transfer, SBIR/STTR, and partnerships. Selected initiatives are described below (see Events section for calendar of any upcoming inreach events):
| Outreach Initiative | Purpose | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Marketing | Communicate promising Goddard inventions to outside organizations (e.g., corporations) anticipated to have licensing/partnership interest. | Conducted on a continuous basis. Goddard identifies target licensees/partners, communicates benefits-level information about inventions to those targets, vets interested parties, and facilitates licensing/partnerships agreements. |
| NASA Tech Briefs | Communicate promising Goddard inventions via Tech Briefs – a magazine that announces new NASA technologies to a readership exceeding 500,000 per year. | Tech Briefs is published monthly, and contains inventions from all NASA centers, including Goddard. |
| Trade Shows / Conferences / Symposia | Communicate promising Goddard inventions to targeted trade shows, conferences, and symposia. | Conducted on a continuous basis. See Events section for calendar. |
| SPO-Based Publications | Communicate recent Goddard opportunities and successes related to technology transfer, SBIR/STTR, and partnerships. | Annual accomplishments report and quarterly magazine. |
| Local Events | Communicate SPO/Goddard opportunities and successes at local events that involve entrepreneurs, inventors, government officials, industry, and related groups. | Conducted as opportunities arise. See Events section for calendar. |
Contact SPO via techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov or 301-286-5810 to suggest new SPO outreach ideas.
Businesses all across the country – from Ontario, New York to Friday Harbor, Washington – have received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards from the SBIR/STTR program led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Goddard’s SBIR program, together with the STTR program (which includes a formal collaboration with a research institution) provides funds to domestic small businesses. These businesses then participate in federal research and development to advance promising technologies with commercial potential.
Through this competitive program, NASA receives approximately 1,900 high-quality proposals that go through a rigorous process to ultimately select approximately 300 Phase I proposals for awards across the agency.
Each year, Goddard subject matter experts develop subtopics that contain NASA’s technology needs. Companies can submit proposals related to those subtopics and participate in a competitive process to receive funds from NASA to develop these technologies.
The program is divided into several funding and development phases. During Phase I of the SBIR program, companies have six months to complete SBIR awards to study scientific, technical and commercial feasibility, while companies have 13 months to complete STTR awards. Phase II covers 24 months, in which companies develop, demonstrate and deliver their innovation. In Phase III, companies reach successful commercialization of their innovation.
In 2023, Goddard-managed companies received over $6 million for SBIR/STTR Phase I projects, and in 2021, over $19 million was allocated for Phase II initiatives. NASA announces a Phase I solicitation each year, and the agency invites successful Phase I awardees to submit proposals to participate in a follow-on Phase II competition.
Companies funded by the SBIR/STTR program help move NASA’s missions forward – for example, a company in Charlottesville, Virginia, developed technology that played a pivotal role in a CubeSat mission called IceCube, which detected cloud ice from space. See NASA’s SBIR/STTR website for more success stories.
NASA announces Phase I solicitations once a year – please visit NASA’s SBIR/STTR program website for specific dates. Also, companies can sign up for NASA’s SBIR/STTR Newsletter.
For more information, contact:
Quenton Bonds
301-286-7083
Quenton.Bonds@nasa.gov
