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European Space Agency

Press Release

ESA highlights space in Europe's cars
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29 October 2002

Advanced space technology is being found more down-to-earth uses -
even within the cars driven on Europe's roads. 

The ESA conference 'Technology Exchange between Space and Automotive
Industry' is to highlight how spin-offs from space are influencing the 
evolution of European automobiles, heralding improvements in safety, 
performance and power. It will take place 6 November at ESOC,
Darmstadt in Germany.

"Space technology deals with the challenging conditions of launching
and space operations," explained Dr. Ulf Merbold, ESA Utilization
Promotion Manager. "These extreme environments are drivers for
innovative solutions, which can then be applied elsewhere."

The automobile and aerospace industries shared early pioneers, and
have other elements in common: "Parallels can be drawn between
protection of a payload and a driver in a car," said Dr Pierre
Brisson, Head of ESA's Technology Transfer and Promotion Office.
"Everything has to be done to protect against dangerous factors, such
as vibrations and impact." 

The Prost Formula 1 team has reduced the vibrations its drivers endure 
during high-speed races. Prost achieved this using a dampening system 
first developed by Artec Aerospace for protecting satellite payloads 
during rocket launches.

A carbon composite material first designed to withstand the white-hot
temperatures in Ariane rocket nozzles is now being utilised by
Messier-Bugatti in high-performance brake systems for both Formula 1
and standard road vehicles.

In addition a novel sensor 'skin' originated by the Canadian Space
Agency is to be fitted to automobile bumpers. Originally intended to
improve the tactile sensitivity of orbital robots used to assemble the 
International Space Station it will also enable bumpers to detect what 
type of obstacle they run into. If the bumper hits a 'hard' object 
like a wall or car it will stay rigid, while if it hits a 'soft' 
object - like a human being - it will crumple.

"If a problem exists in industry, can ESA bring a space solution?"
asked Brisson. "The answer is yes, if the problem is correctly
described and explained."

Space technology also can play a role in the design process. Software
first written to simulate the behaviour of space structures is now
being used by BMW, Rover and others to model vehicle prototype
behaviour.

Miniature engines and gears designed for precision satellite operation 
also can provide increases in engine efficiency. Automobile bodies are 
being manufactured using space-derived metal alloys or plastic 
composites - lending increased strength at lower weights. 

Most important may be space-derived ways of powering vehicles. In
November 2001 an ESA-sponsored vehicle won the World Solar Challenge
across Australia, fitted with solar power cells built for the Hubble
Telescope.

"Solar power also has more practical applications, though not alone,"
explained Brisson. "It could be a component of a hybrid or tribrid
vehicle, also using power sources like hydrogen fuel cells or LPG
(liquefied petroleum gas) as well as gasoline." A LPG racing car is to 
be exhibited at ESOC in Darmstadt.

The November conference is intended to facilitate the process of
automotive technology transfer, with more than 150 attendees. It is
part of a larger effort to take advantage of space technology in other 
areas. ESA has already carried out more than 120 successful technology 
transfers over the last decade. For more information, contact:

Dr Thomas Altmann
MST Aerospace Gmbh 
Eupener Strasse 150, D-50933 Köln, Germany 
Tel: +49 (0) 221 9498 9223 
email: office{at}mst-aerospace.de 
URL: http://www.technology-forum.com 

Dr Pierre Brisson 
Head of Technology Transfer and Promotion Office 
European Space Agency - ESTEC 
Keplerlaan 1, PO Box 299, NL-2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands 
Tel: +31 (0) 71565 4929 
email: pierre.brisson{at}esa.int 
URL: http://www.esa.int/technology

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