SATOP Insider Summer 2020

Summer 2020 | Issue: 1

Volume 13

SATOP Insider Inside This Issue: Director’s Letter

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Spotlight on Roberta A. Skebo

PG 2

Success Stories

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RTA #3990 — SATOP Helps Light Up Aviation Cockpits RTA #4010 — SATOP Assists in Design of Novel Footwear Insert

What is SATOP?

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SATOP Alliance Partners How to Submit a Request

“Transforming space technology into commercial products.”

www.SATOP.Space

18045 Saturn Lane Houston, TX 77058

832.536.3255

Director’s Letter The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) provides free technical assistance to small Texas business owners, start ups, and entrepreneurs with thanks to the 86th Texas Legislature for funding this highly successful program. SATOP, administered by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP), had a very successful year providing technical assistance to small business owners seeking solutions to challenges that obstructed progress in the completion of new and innovative products.

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) recently partnered with BAHEP allowing SATOP to leverage the strengths of TEES’ engineering and academic professionals to resolve technical challenges faced by small businesses.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs that struggle to complete the development of their new, innovative products are matched by SATOP with one of its Alliance Partners to provide the needed technical solutions. More than 800 small businesses across the State of Texas have been helped by SATOP since its inception, creating new jobs, capital investment, and facility expansion.

This newsletter highlights two recent success stories illustrating the variety of new products and how SATOP was able to assist the entrepreneurs. SATOP Alliance Partner New Mexico State University (NMSU) helped FLITELite, located in El Paso, Texas, complete the design of an innovative LED flashlight for use by aviation pilots who wear night vision goggles. NMSU also assisted entrepreneur Kevin Selva, located in Houston, Texas, with material selection and 3-D modeling that resulted in key design modifications for his novel footwear insert.

SATOP’s Alliance Partners listed on the back page of this newsletter allow their engineers and faculty members to volunteer their time to help small business owners overcome technical challenges such as the two success stories described in this newsletter. SATOP’s success would not be possible without its Alliance Partners’ participation and the dedication of these organizations to community outreach.

Sincerely, Bob Payne SATOP Director

Spotlight on Roberta A. Skebo Roberta A. Skebo is the deputy director, Advising Operations, at the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center Network, an economic outreach program of the C.T. Bauer College of Business. The program provides no cost business advising, access to training, tools, and resources to help small businesses start, grow, expand, and succeed. Designated as one of Texas’ top business assistance programs, the SBDC has 14 centers from Lufkin to Lake Jackson that serve 32 counties in southeast Texas. Since 1984, the network has helped construct a regional ecosystem to foster the spirit, support, and success of thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators.

Skebo holds an MBA with a concentration in finance and international business.

She has a background in corporate finance as well as diverse business consulting experience in all aspects of business operations and management including strategic planning, financial analysis, marketing, and development of funding proposals for traditional and non-traditional financing.

Skebo has been working with SATOP for over 15 years. During that time, she has referred more than 60 small businesses to the organization. Skebo said, “The SATOP program has been an incredible resource for small businesses in need of solutions for their technical challenges. Providing our small businesses access to the specialized expertise of scientists or engineers in the space program for FREE is invaluable! SATOP has been and continues to be a remarkable service which positively impacts small businesses and their opportunities for growth and success.”

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Success Stories SATOP Helps Light Up Aviation Cockpits David Simeur, FLITELite president, needed assistance in the design and development of a prototype for an innovative removable LED (MOLLE) flashlight for attachment to aviation cockpit tablets which would enable pilots wearing night vision goggles to view other materials with a compatible light source.

Simeur had developed a rough prototype of the LED attachment using injected molded plastic components; however, he concluded that the attachment needed to be a softer material such as liquid injected silicone rubber (LSR) to provide additional shock resistance and to increase design flexibility.

The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce referred Simeur to SATOP for assistance.

Yu-Ping

Tang, Ph.D., an engineer with SATOP Alliance Partner New Mexico State University, accepted the challenge and provided several different design solutions to Simeur. Tang used 3-D modeling to make design improvements that accommodated the material change to LSR while providing protection to the internal electrical components. Additional design improvements resulted in a more user-friendly device allowing for easier access for pilots that wear gloves to change the battery and operate the on/off switch.

Simeur expressed his appreciation for Tang’s detailed work by saying, “This has allowed FLITELite to develop a prototype that will lead to the manufacture and sale of our new product.”

SATOP Assists in Design of Novel Footwear Insert Kevin Selva needed assistance in narrowing the selection of the proper material for his novel footwear insert. The material needed to be resilient, elastic, and have a lifetime of five to 10 years for a user weighing up to 250 lbs. Selva sought assistance from SATOP after learning about the program through the Houston Inventors Association.

Yu-Ping Tang, Ph.D., an engineer with Alliance Partner New Mexico State University, developed a 3-D model of the footwear insert designed by Selva and then conducted a series of finite element analyses (FEA) to refine the insert design to keep within the stress and weight constraints of the selected material, an aluminum alloy.

The FEAs narrowed the material type to a specific aluminum alloy.

Tang refined the insert design to include drilled holes to reduce weight and recommended additional modifications that would ensure comfort for the footwear user. His material selection and design modifications allowed Selva to stay within the cost constraint of the footwear insert. The material recommended will allow for long-term comfort and durability while maintaining a price point that is reasonable for consumers.

Selva summed up Tang’s analyses, material selection, and design modifications by saying, “SATOP did a great job by offering assistance through Dr. Tang, an expert specialized to address the niche technical challenges that we faced. The comprehensive study of our product and offered solutions were instrumental in solving the problems presented.”

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About SATOP What is SATOP? The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) is a State of Texas-funded program that helps small businesses faced with technical challenges by providing up to 40 hours of FREE technical assistance for qualified requests. This is accomplished by utilizing the vast engineering expertise of participating Alliance Partners (NASA Johnson Space Center, NASA contractors, subcontractors, and colleges/universities). SATOP is designed to speed the transfer of the U.S. Space Program’s knowledge and technology to the private sector, to provide economic benefits to the community, and to raise public awareness of the Space Program.

For more information, visit SATOP’s website at www.SATOP.Space

SATOP Alliance Partners

How to Submit a Request 1) Go to www.SATOP.Space and click on SUBMIT A REQUEST on the header.

The consortium of Alliance Partners is the driving force behind the success of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. SATOP Alliance Partners include NASA Johnson

2) Begin the process for a Request for Technical Assistance application by filling out the short inquiry form.

3) A SATOP project engineer will contact you to discuss your application and how to proceed.

Space Center, aerospace firms, and colleges/universities.

Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance Barrios Technology The Boeing Company College of the Mainland Design by Analysis GeoControl Systems Jacobs KBR MEI Technologies MRI Technologies

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NASA Alumni League—JSC Chapter NASA Johnson Space Center New Mexico State University Oceaneering Space Systems San Jacinto College District Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Texas A&M University at Galveston TMAC—Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center