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3 2 1; Success; NASA Program Helps Small Businesses Launch Their Products

Posted on: Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:00 CDT

It isn't rocket science, but Dowie Soetenga has turned to NASA for help in designing motorcycle parts.

Soetenga, of West Allis, is the first Wisconsin entrepreneur to use a free government program that pairs NASA scientists with small businesses to solve some unusual problems such as keeping a laser- assisted fishing lure from short-circuiting when it gets wet.

Soetenga credits the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program for helping him refine an engine air intake system that uses spinning blades, much like a turbine. Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration tested his product design using advanced software that most people never have access to.

"It would have taken me months, if not years, to get these kind of results on my own," Soetenga said.

The NASA technology outreach program, which is run by a Wisconsin native, has helped hundreds of small businesses overcome science and engineering hurdles. The expert help comes from the space agency's main operations in Florida and Texas, its field centers, aerospace contractors, affiliated colleges and universities.

At no cost to the small business, a team of NASA experts will work up to 40 hours to solve a problem or make technical recommendations.

The program fosters goodwill for the space agency, which has a goal of commercializing its technology and bringing the benefits of space travel back to Earth.

Almost all the businesses seeking help are outside the aerospace industry, said Paul Secor, a Wautoma native and director of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program.

"It's supposed to be that way," he said. "This is the fast-food version of technology transfer. We try to make hundreds of small connections with the business community that, altogether, make a big impact."

The program was started to offer Florida businesses access to Kennedy Space Center technologies. It expanded nationally in 2001 and has helped about 500 companies a year.

For a small business which NASA defines as having 500 or fewer employees getting help is fairly easy.

Applying online

The first step is to complete a short online application. NASA engineers review the application, which in Soetenga's case occurred about 24 hours after he submitted it.

Next, if NASA officials think they can solve a company's problem in 40 hours or less, they will assign an expert or team of experts to work on it. If necessary, the 40 hours can be spread out over a period of weeks or months.

All of the help is free. To keep costs down, the space agency works with businesses via the Internet, e-mail and telephone calls rather than making site visits.

Soetenga sent his computer-assisted design blueprints to NASA for detailed analysis. The agency paired him with one of its affiliates, the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Photonics Applications.

The center performed several tests on Soetenga's design and compiled a 10-page report, 40 graphs and spreadsheets of data.

"It took me hours to digest all of the information," he said.

The analysis showed that Soetenga's design could be tweaked to increase airflow and improve performance. That was important, he said, because even a slight change in a high-performance product can result in significant benefits.

Lots of ideas

Soetenga heard about the technology outreach program through a patent attorney. He's working on another project that involves an additional 40 hours of help from the space agency.

"My brain constantly crunches away at new, creative things," Soetenga said.

More than 70% of the requests for assistance are approved by NASA. To qualify, a request must be specific and solvable with about 40 hours of work.

Some requests are turned down, such as a plea for help developing a perpetual motion machine.

But the space agency is not timid about wandering into uncharted territory, such as helping inventor Bruce Young fix a troubled fishing lure.

Young, of Melbourne, Fla., designed and patented a two-piece fishing lure that screwed together in the middle and contained a laser light that attracted fish. But after he sold several hundred of the lures, they were returned by customers who complained that the light had stopped working.

The units leaked and short-circuited. Young needed to solve the problem, or his lures were going nowhere.

NASA teamed Young with Ernie Banks, a Boeing Co. scientist familiar with watertight seals. Banks tested several rubber O-rings until he found one that kept the lures sealed even when submerged for eight hours.

"The program really has helped save Laser Lure," Young said. "I don't know where I would be now without the assistance."

Some other recent NASA projects included finding a better glue for rubber life rafts, developing lightning protection for a radio tower, solving a hotel's mildew problem, and creating a better curing process for gourmet salami.

Filter for the nose

"We also helped develop a nose filter," Secor said. "The idea came from an avid poker player who had allergies to smoke in casinos. He wanted a filter that could be inserted in his nostrils, and he ended up selling 10,000 of them to a tanning company that wanted it to keep people from inhaling tanning chemicals."

NASA typically doesn't offer help in cases where a local business or consulting firm could do the same job.

The scientists and engineers may volunteer for the work because they enjoy the change of pace from their regular assignments, which can take years to complete, Secor said.

"They like the quick turnaround and the sense of accomplishment," he said. "It also keeps them sharp, giving them a chance to look at things in fresh ways."

Through the program, small businesses get access to experts they might otherwise not be able to afford, said Bob Rafaels, a Stuart, Fla., inventor who is developing a miniature video camera for the visually impaired and used the NASA program.

"I don't have deep pockets here," he said. "So I was looking for a little help."

For more information on the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, go to the agency's Web page at www.spacetechsolutions.com.

Copyright 2005, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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