May 6 1997
From The Space Library
NASA announced that it had granted Hitco Technologies exclusive rights to use a NASA-developed, heat-resistant material to produce high-performance pistons. NASA had developed the carbon-carbon composite in the 1960s, for use as a heat shield for missile applications. Researchers speculated that pistons composed of carbon-carbon, a material with virtually no thermal expansion, would allow engines to perform more efficiently, holding their shape and rigidity in temperatures well above 2,500°F (1,370°C). According to G. Burton Northam of Langley Research Center, the carbon-carbon composite was "the material of choice for the most demanding applications." Allowing industry to use one of NASA's patented technologies continued the trend of government-industry collaboration that Administrator Daniel S. Goldin had fostered.
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