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Spinoff story
From Rockets to Racecars
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Racecar drivers are benefiting from air filtration systems based on work done at Langley Research Center to develop a family of catalysts for low-temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide and other gases. Originally designed as part of an atmospheric satellite project, where the catalysts were intended to recycle and recapture carbon dioxide to enhance the operational life of carbon dioxide lasers, the entire system was made to be rugged, long-lived, and fail-safe. The devices are now being applied to the high-speed motor sports industry as air purifiers, so professional racecar drivers do not suffer carbon monoxide poisoning.