Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

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SPACE AS AN INVESTMENT IN ECONOMIC GROWTH
[8] The university applications program is managed from NASA Headquarters.
Universities identify state and local problems that can be aided by the application of
remote sensing techniques. The transfer process is directly from NASA to the universities
(not the ultimate users) and much of the program involves the support of undergraduate
and graduate courses in remote sensing techniques. Therefore, this program is aimed at
educating a potential user community rather than directly transferring NASA technology.
The regional applications program, like the university program, primarily involves the
use of Landsat data. NASA personnel directly market the data and remote sensing data
processing techniques to the various states, but it is the user (state) that identifies problems
and proposes the cooperative projects. NASA directly trains the users of the data, but
there is no new NASA R&D involved.
Beyond this, the Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications conducts an active and
aggressive program for the identification of promising technologies resulting from both
in-house and contracted work with a view to stimulating the application of those technologies,
where appropriate, to non-space uses in American industry or the public sector.
This Technology Utilization program utilizes a number of university-based and other centers
around the country as technical data centers servicing industrial subscribers and others
interested in exploring and possibly acquiring the technologies identified for potential
non-space uses.
The Technology Utilization program also includes “applications teams” of experts
who conduct new R&D for projects which have commercial potential. These projects are
managed by NASA field centers and Headquarters. They are cooperative projects, with
joint funding with other Federal agencies where appropriate. If a commercial vendor is
involved in the development of the new technology, there is joint participation with the
vendor in the development stage.
[9] In a more general sense, the advent of the Space Transportation System has been shaped
by NASA so as to encourage the use of launch services for public and private R&D, thus
stimulating the development of new technologies by users but not necessarily transferring
actual technology (know-how) to them.
• International policies
NASA support for other government agency programs includes support for
[Department of] State/AID [Agency for International Development] objectives in
extending the benefits of advanced technology to the developing countries. Thus, NASA
in cooperation with [the Department of the] Interior makes Landsat data available to all
users and provides technical guidance and training for the data processing and analysis
techniques required to make use of it. The same thing is done in the communications
field where, in addition, launch services are provided to permit foreign acquisition of
domestic Comsat systems.
CURRENT NASA POLICIES/PRACTICES
LIMITING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Limitations on NASA technology transfer apply to both in-house and contractor
developed technology and are all essentially predicated on considerations of security or
foreign competition.
• In-house Technology
In-house technology is rarely classified but this control is available where (defenserelated)
security is applicable. To control the transfer of unclassified in-house technology,
the agency may also obtain patents which combine disclosure with controls in the US and
abroad. Patent policy, though, has the stated objective of encouraging commercialization
of an invention.