Many inventions result each year from research supported by Glenn Research Center. NASA seeks patent protection on inventions to which it has title if the invention has important use in government programs or significant commercial potential. These inventions cover a broad range of technologies and include many that have useful and valuable commercial application.

This database contains descriptions of patents granted to NASA Glenn Research Center by the US Patent Office from 1959-2002, with new patents being added on an ongoing basis. You may search for a specific patent by year, inventor, or keyword, or you may browse the database by decade.

For information on patents issued to other NASA Centers, visit NASA's Scientific and Technical Information Program Patent Abstracts Bibliographies. The Bibliographies are issued in January and July of each year and the most recent two issues are available online for free. Back issues are available through the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information.

This Day in NASA History: 11/24/1970

Patent Awarded for Apparatus for Making Curved Reflectors
Fabricating and forming each curved segment of a light weight mirror by polishing one surface of a flat magnesium plate and then machining stiffening ribs in the other side... Read more