NASA Glenn’s Support of Small Business Advances Agency Missions
- Press Release Source: Glenn Research Center
As the nation celebrates Small Business Week, May 4 – 8, NASA?s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland continues its ongoing commitment to small businesses through financial programs that stimulate business development and innovation in hundreds of communities across the country. {{more}}
Besides traditional contracts, Glenn also supports small business through its Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR programs. To date in fiscal year 2015, Glenn?s SBIR and STTR award amounts total approximately $5.5 million.
Among the businesses that have benefitted from Glenn?s SBIR and STTR programs are Kennedale, Texas based Carbon-CarbonAdvanced Technologies
, which partnered with center engineers to create a rocket nozzle extension for the RL10 engine. The nozzle will provide equal or better performance than current options, for about half the cost.In their website, C-CAT [Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies] is described as privately owned corporation and high-tech manufacturer specializing in the
development of carbon-carbon structures for aerospace and commercial applications.
The company was originally founded by Francis Schwind in June 1988. Schwind
gained extensive experience working on thermal protection systems for the nose
cap and leading edges on the Space Shuttle during the 1970s. This endeavor led
to the carbon-carbon production environment that exists today. His fledgling
company would go on to produce 2D prototype test liners for the Pratt &
Whitney 119 engine.
In 2006, C-CAT expanded and
relocated to a new headquarters in Kennedale, Texas near Forth Worth in a state
of the art facility.
“Small businesses are crucial to sustaining Glenn’s game changing research and development of aerospace technologies,” said Glenn Director Jim Free. “Because of the investment Glenn makes in the small business sector, we?re helping further economic growth while creating jobs and positioning these businesses for an ever expanding role in NASA?s missions on Earth and in space.”
According to the Small Business Administration, more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
