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Spinoff story
Gas Regulators Keep Pilots Breathing
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Since John Glenn’s first orbit in 1962, all U.S. astronauts have used a derivation of his oxygen regulator. For the original project, Cobham Mission Systems (then operating as Carleton Controls) needed to make a gas regulator smaller and lighter than ever before. Now the Orchard Park, New York-based business uses the innovative spring design it created for Johnson Space Center and its oxygen safety expertise in oxygen systems for pilots, as well as for applications like wastewater treatment and offshore drilling.