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Spinoff story
Cryocoolers Fuel Exploration in Space and on Earth
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
When NASA needed a cryocooler to install on the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center turned to Athens, Ohio-based Sunpower Inc. for help. The company_s cryocoolers feature just two moving parts and have a long lifespan. After 18 SBIR contracts, the company has a dozen models of cryocoolers that are aiding research in space and are employed in high-powered telescopes, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, and superconductors on Earth.