Insulation From Space Program Hits The Road

The same insulating material that's enabling instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope to see to the ends of the universe may soon help a pair of race car drivers be the first to see the checkered flag.

A new company, Bobby Allison Technologies, has been formed to introduce insulating materials manufactured by Energy "Q" International of Ft. Worth, Texas, into the sport of car racing.

The first vehicle dressed out with the new heat-fighting, insulating technologies ran in qualifying trails in late May at the Busch Grand National Race at Charlotte, NC., with Doug Reid, a native of Hueytown, Ala., at the wheel. Reid - seen by many as the successor to Davey Allison in racing - tested some of the new insulating technologies recently at the race at Talledega, Ala. "For the first time in my racing career," he said, "I didn't even break a sweat." Instruments showed the temperature in the car at the gas pedal never exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Formerly, temperatures at the gas pedal could exceed 330 degrees.

The next vehicle to use the new space-age technology in a race will be Johnny Benson's Pennzoil Pontiac, operated by the Bahari Racing Team, scheduled to run July 5th at the NASCAR Daytona 500 in Florida.

According to a spokesperson with Bobby Allison Technologies and Energy "Q" International, the first tests of composite flexible blanket insulation (CFBI) and a radiant barrier were in Rusty Wallace's Thunderbird, "The General," with racing legend Bobby Allison being one of the lead consultants on the project. The engine compartment and exhaust system were fitted with the CFBI product at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The material's ability to significantly reduce temperatures in the vehicle got the attention of the racing industry, and, because of the major reductions in temperatures, driver fatigue has been reduced, increasing racing safety.

The two cars that will run this summer with the complete insulation package installed also will use "Driver's Seat¨" Products, an Energy "Q" radiant barrier, gel-filled insulated driving seat manufactured by the Kemmler Corp., of St. Thomas, PA.

The value of the insulation technologies from space has been picked up on by one domestic automaker. Chrysler Corporation's 1998 Dodge Viper may incorporate an radiant barrier exhaust heat reflector, fabricated by Engineered Thermal Systems of St. Johnsbury, VT.

The United Space Alliance (USA), a commercial space launch firm, also is to use Bobby Allison Technologies, Energy "Q" thermal products in the firm's new mobile launch pad. The insulation on which the racing industry technologies are based is in use throughout the U.S. space program. It has its origins in the Apollo race to the Moon. The insulation ensured that constant, comfortable temperatures were maintained inside the Apollo command modules on their way to the Lunar surface, and permitted the astronauts to ride and work in their shirtsleeves instead of bulky, uncomfortable space suits. The material is used today to protect satellites and a number of unmanned spacecraft, including the billion-dollar Hubble Space Telescope. It is in use in the current fleet of space shuttles to protect the vehicles' computers, as well.

The material also is finding uses as insulation in commercial trucks. Lining the interior of a van can enable it to carry refrigerated cargoes. On a smaller scale, family picnic coolers and carry bags for pizza delivery are available with the insulating material. A number of seafood companies are using insulated bags and as liners of bulk containers.

The potential uses for these space age materials are only beginning to be realized. The insulation and barrier are examples of how America's space program is paying off for American business and industry. Technologies, developed for the nation's space program by NASA and its contractors, are now at work in thousands of American firms, benefiting millions of Americans," Harry G. Craft Jr., manager of the Technology Transfer Office at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL., said.

"The latest survey of our industrial assistance activities proves that thousands of US businesses have benefited from NASA research and development expertise," Craft said.

As a result of NASA's technology transfer and industrial assistance activities, more than 18,500 jobs have been added to the nation's job bank or saved from elimination since January 1993, Craft reported.

Assistance from the space program, he said, has enabled American industry to introduce more than 1,200 new or improved products for sale at home and abroad. Craft said the survey estimates the value of this assistance to American businesses at $1.8 billion. Persons seeking more information on ways in which NASA technical assistance programs might benefit them may call 1-800-USA-NASA.