Range Magazine
Spring 1999
p. 42-44

May 1, 1999
 

What comes to mind when you think of NASA-the National Aeronautics and Space Administration? Perhaps "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" or "God speed, John Glenn." These words and the images they convey are the NASA we've grown up with through each success and setback of this American adventure. While the business of NASA reaches far out into space it also lands close to home.

NASA is sharing expertise developed through the space program to improve the quality of life in America. By applying the knowledge and technology gained through the space program to the needs of businesses and industries today, NASA is moving the private sector into future frontiers-futures filled with unlimited possibilities. This is especially important for the western states, where agriculture, forestry and mining face challenges that threaten the livelihood of rural communities.

The saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it," no longer rings true when it comes to the natural resource-based economy of the West. What has worked in the past for the good of industries in western rural communities won't cut it today. New technologies, however, can help by lowering costs, protecting the environment and boosting profits. Recognizing this, NASA is working to transfer its wealth of technologies to the private sector to strengthen the United States' competitive position in world markets.

Does the idea of NASA and the West seem like science fiction to you? Maybe it brings to mind images of space cowboys landing the shuttle in Wyoming? Or how about lunar loggers shuttling to their next job site? Kryptonite mining in the Dakotas seems possible when you compare the terrain to satellite images of Martian landscapes. The realities of the benefits of NASA technologies to the resource industries are fantastic, in the same way television and home computers seemed fantastic just a short time ago.

"For 40 years, NASA has been an investment in America's future," says NASA's administrator, Daniel Goldin. "As explorers, pioneers and innovators, we boldly expand frontiers in air and space to inspire and serve America and to benefit the quality of life here on Earth."

To reap results from this investment in the western states, the TechLink Center was created as a partnership between NASA and Montana State University-Bozeman two years ago. TechLink serves its client companies in the rural western region-particularly Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota-by helping them match their problems with solutions found in NASA, federal laboratories and universities.

TechLink concentrates its efforts on industries with the potential to create significant economic impact in its region, including agriculture, mining (both hard rock and fossil fuels), and forest and wood products. According to Executive Director Peter Perna, "TechLink assists these industries in taking full advantage of the help NASA is able to offer and is bringing rural businesses and NASA together."

Space cowboys may not be landing anytime soon in Wyoming, but next door in Idaho technology promises to transform harvest time. Milestone Technology, Inc. of Blackfoot, Idaho is currently developing an on-the-go grain quality monitor to record protein, fat, oil, carbohydrate, and moisture levels of grain during harvest. This combine-mounted sensor will provide wheat farmers with the ability to evaluate their crop by referring to detailed protein maps of their grain fields. This information will help them to make the most of their harvest.

"Selling grain products without knowing the value or quality of the grain would be like selling a horse without advertising anything about the animal," explains Paul Reep, president of Milestone Technology. "We know protein levels vary and premium prices are being paid for high protein wheat. This is technology that gives the producer more power-more money in the in-gate'"

While this approach is new to grain sales in the United States, it is already common practice in other countries. In Canada, grain is segregated by quality. In Australia, grain is segregated into 30 different varieties, which are then sold to distinct markets. Reep compares this to the wine industry. "A winery knows the value of each particular wine and labels it as such. If a grain producer knows the varying quality of the product, it can then be sold to a special market."

The protein sensor also will make it possible to precisely apply nutrients and fertilizers, avoiding unnecessary expense and reducing environmental impacts. TechLink helped Milestone access assistance from NASA engineers on how to improve the durability of the sensor head and is now partnering Milestone with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to use the grain quality monitor for climate change research.

Obviously, lunar logging will never occur. No trees! But if logging ever does take place on other planets, odds are that futuristic foresters will be utilizing technology developed by NASA. Meanwhile, back home in the West, improved technology continues to help the forest products industry fine tune its operations-making it more efficient, profitable and environmentally sensitive. Since wood products companies are being forced to do more with less, they are continually working to increase product quality while reducing costs. Boise Cascade Corporation joined the University of Idaho, TechLink, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, and the University of Montana to improve methods for assessing the quality of wood in standing trees.

"Because Boise Cascade is continually striving to maximize the value of timber," says Boise Cascade's communications manager Doug Bartels, "our participation in this project supports the university's research efforts to ultimately help the industry better utilize and manage its timber resources."

This research project is the first step in developing a way to accurately predict a tree's overall wood quality before it is cut. Current evaluation methods rely upon visually assessing the tree and its surroundings in an attempt to determine its quality. Because there is little relationship between a tree's appearance and the strength of its wood, this method falls short of providing meaningful information to forest managers.

Anticipated spin-offs to the forest and wood products industry include the design of new tools used to select the best trees for processing. Use of these new tools could reduce handling and processing costs. The project's ultimate benefit to the forest products industry will be in providing better information to evaluate and manage timber resources and increase profitability.

TechLink is not aware of any immediate plans to mine kryptonite on Mars but AVIRIS, a piloted imaging system developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for Earth and Atmospheric Studies, may be the next state-of-the-art tool adopted by the mining industry. This type of imaging system has the potential to solve a number of problems related to mineral exploration, environmental monitoring and reclamation processes.

Recognizing the sensor's potential for industrial application, Earth Search Sciences, Inc. of McCall, Idaho teamed with NASA to improve upon it for commercial use. By making it more compact, Earth Search can fly the sensor in a small airplane over the land to be surveyed, reducing the costly and time-consuming practice of putting people in the field to collect data manually.

This sensor, coupled with sophisticated software, produces many more types of information compared to ordinary aerial photographs. It yields images that can identify such features as mineral composition and vegetation growth on land, and factors such as water temperature in streams. TechLink has been helping Earth Search develop commercial applications for stream and vegetation monitoring, which, when proven, could be of great value to mining industry exploration and reclamation.

Satellite imaging also may help control the spread of noxious weeds that threaten the West. Through early detection, farmers, foresters, sportsmen and environmentalists can identify where the weeds are so the fight can be waged. The widespread promise for this technology includes use in rural and urban settings. For farmers it can help monitor crop health, forest managers can better study riparian areas, and urban planners can use it to map growth.

"Bringing NASA technology to folks back down on the ground may not be a moonwalk;' says Montana Republican Senator Conrad Burns, "but it will help American businesses meet the challenges of the future in a global market and shows we still have the Right Stuff."

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