Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Sound of Silence: GE’s Silent Scan Dials Down MRI Noise to a Whisper
Doctor visits tend to be quiet affairs, unless an MRI exam, or a root canal, is on the agenda. An MR scanner can generate noise in excess of 110 decibels, enough to rival a rock concert. There is a good reason why this happens. “An MRI scanner is like a huge version of a speaker in your home,” says engineer Bryan Mock, who manages GE Healthcare’s MRI products. “They both have magnets inside and a coil of wire that carries electric current,” Mock says.
The current that flows through the coil inside the speaker creates a magnetic field that moves a magnet attached to a flexible membrane that generates sound. The MR scanner uses changes in the current to generate a magnetic field to image the body. Since the coil and the magnet inside the MRI scanner are fixed in place, the machine does not play Bach, but vibrates and makes noise.
MRI manufacturers traditionally minimized the noise by muffling it with foam or rubber. “But that’s just covering it up,” Mock says.
Two years ago, a team of engineers at GE Healthcare in Waukesha decided to snuff out the noise at the source. They developed a combination of hardware and software called Silent Scan that brings MR scanner noise near background sound levels around 77 decibels. “It’s a completely new way to image,” Mock says. “It’s like going from techno beat to ambient music. They both make you feel good in the end, you just get there differently. Your speaker is still working but the membrane is not moving as much.”
The technology works by minimizing changes in the current during the imaging process. Smoother current means fewer vibrations and less noise. “How we change the magnetic field is really the breakthrough of the Silent Scan technology,” Mock explains. He says that the software is changing the current “a tiny amount for every bit of information that we need.” New, “extremely stable” hardware helps to reduce the vibrations even further and eliminate bad images and image artifacts. “You need both pieces to work correctly for the machine to be quieter and give good images,” Mock says.
Hospitals in the U.S. and in Europe are already working with Silent Scan. Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first hospital in the world to implement the technology. It also used the software as part of research collaboration with GE Healthcare. “The response from our patients has been very gratifying,” says Spectrum Health radiologist Dr. Mark DeLano. “The scans are essentially silent."
Patients told DeLano that "the Silent Scans don’t make any noise are greatly preferred compared to the hammering sound of conventional MRI scans. This reduces their anxiety about the procedure." He says that he is "particularly looking forward to providing this to our pediatric patients, claustrophobic patients, and our patients being scanned in the operating room where the noise of the traditional MRI can be disruptive.”
Silent Scan does not solve the root canal problem, but it can give patients going for an MRI scan more peace of mind.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
GE Started Testing Next-Gen Jet Engine with 3D Printed Parts
Engineers at GE’s Peebles Test Operation in Ohio have started testing one of the world’s most advanced jet engines designed for next-generation passenger aircraft.
The engine, called LEAP-1A, contains 3D printed fuel nozzles, fourth-generation carbon-fiber composite blades, and parts made from ceramic matrix composites. The ceramics can operate at temperatures as high as 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit where most alloys grow soft. They are also two-thirds lighter than the metal equivalent. “In the past five years, we have completed thousands of hours of component testing leading up to this day,” said Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president of CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation and France’s Snecma (Safran )that is developing the engine. “Everything we have seen tells us the LEAP engine is going to deliver all we promised, and much more. Now, we get to put it through its paces in the most comprehensive test program we have ever undertaken.”
The engine fired for the first time on Sept. 4, two days ahead of schedule. After a series of break-in runs, the engine was operating smoothly and had reached full take-off thrust.
[slides image_align="left"]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JetPrinted1.jpg"]
The LEAP-1A on a test stand in Peebles. The engine fired for the first time on Sept. 4, two days ahead of schedule. After a series of break-in runs, the engine was operating smoothly and had reached full take-off thrust.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JetPrinted4.jpg"]
The black “turbulence control structure” is a high-tech wind shelter for testing jet engines. Its purpose is to smooth out the flow of air into a jet engine that is being tested. This is helpful during simulations of engine distress, including variations in fuel flow and “deterioration” of the engine compressor and turbine. Engineers also use it to reduce variation in thrust and fuel consumption data.The dome is made from an array of 300 flat aluminum honeycombs and perforated stainless steel plate panels of varying sizes.
[/image]
[/slides]
The tests will evaluate various engine systems and operability. Chahrour says that when he and his team are done in 2016, they will have gone through 60 different engine builds for both ground and flight testing, and simulated more than 15 years or airline service. (A build is defined as the same basic engine that has been disassembled for inspection and then rebuilt to continue testing. It may or may not include new hardware.)
The team will be testing the engine at the Peebles site for the next several weeks. In early 2014, the second build of the engine will begin icing tests at GE’s testing site in Winnipeg, Canada, where winter temperatures dip regularly below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
CFM is developing three versions of the LEAP engine for three different single-aisle aircraft. The LEAP-1A engine will serve on Airbus A320neo planes. The LEAP-1B will power Boeing 737MAX jets, and the LEAP-1C will propel COMAC’s C919 aircraft.
CFM executives said that the LEAP, which is part of GE's ecomagination portfolio, would improve fuel consumption by 15 percent and deliver an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine. It will also bring “dramatic reductions” in engine noise and emissions, the company said in a news release.
CFM has received orders for 5,446 LEAP engines valued over $70 billion. They include orders from carriers like AirAsia, Southwest, Virgin America, Lion Air, Pegasus, Qantas, WestJet and dozens of other airlines around the world.
The testing program for the LEAP-1A engine will culminate in engine certification in 2015. The first entry into commercial service on the Airbus A320neo is planned for 2016.
The engine, called LEAP-1A, contains 3D printed fuel nozzles, fourth-generation carbon-fiber composite blades, and parts made from ceramic matrix composites. The ceramics can operate at temperatures as high as 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit where most alloys grow soft. They are also two-thirds lighter than the metal equivalent. “In the past five years, we have completed thousands of hours of component testing leading up to this day,” said Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president of CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation and France’s Snecma (Safran )that is developing the engine. “Everything we have seen tells us the LEAP engine is going to deliver all we promised, and much more. Now, we get to put it through its paces in the most comprehensive test program we have ever undertaken.”
The engine fired for the first time on Sept. 4, two days ahead of schedule. After a series of break-in runs, the engine was operating smoothly and had reached full take-off thrust.
[slides image_align="left"]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JetPrinted1.jpg"]
The LEAP-1A on a test stand in Peebles. The engine fired for the first time on Sept. 4, two days ahead of schedule. After a series of break-in runs, the engine was operating smoothly and had reached full take-off thrust.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/JetPrinted4.jpg"]
The black “turbulence control structure” is a high-tech wind shelter for testing jet engines. Its purpose is to smooth out the flow of air into a jet engine that is being tested. This is helpful during simulations of engine distress, including variations in fuel flow and “deterioration” of the engine compressor and turbine. Engineers also use it to reduce variation in thrust and fuel consumption data.The dome is made from an array of 300 flat aluminum honeycombs and perforated stainless steel plate panels of varying sizes.
[/image]
[/slides]
The tests will evaluate various engine systems and operability. Chahrour says that when he and his team are done in 2016, they will have gone through 60 different engine builds for both ground and flight testing, and simulated more than 15 years or airline service. (A build is defined as the same basic engine that has been disassembled for inspection and then rebuilt to continue testing. It may or may not include new hardware.)
The team will be testing the engine at the Peebles site for the next several weeks. In early 2014, the second build of the engine will begin icing tests at GE’s testing site in Winnipeg, Canada, where winter temperatures dip regularly below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
CFM is developing three versions of the LEAP engine for three different single-aisle aircraft. The LEAP-1A engine will serve on Airbus A320neo planes. The LEAP-1B will power Boeing 737MAX jets, and the LEAP-1C will propel COMAC’s C919 aircraft.
CFM executives said that the LEAP, which is part of GE's ecomagination portfolio, would improve fuel consumption by 15 percent and deliver an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine. It will also bring “dramatic reductions” in engine noise and emissions, the company said in a news release.
CFM has received orders for 5,446 LEAP engines valued over $70 billion. They include orders from carriers like AirAsia, Southwest, Virgin America, Lion Air, Pegasus, Qantas, WestJet and dozens of other airlines around the world.
The testing program for the LEAP-1A engine will culminate in engine certification in 2015. The first entry into commercial service on the Airbus A320neo is planned for 2016.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Falling For You: GE Launched World’s Longest Apple Drop on Vine to Celebrate #GravityDay
GE and hundreds of tech and science fans came together over the weekend to celebrate #GravityDay on Sunday, Sept. 8 (9.8 m/s2 roughly equals gravitational acceleration). GE's pitch was the Apple Drop, a nod to Sir Isaac Newton and an attempt to create the longest user-generated Vine chain ever experienced on the social media platform. The Vine activation lasted from Friday Sept. 6 through the end of Gravity Day.
Users dropped apples from the top of the screen, caught them, and then dropped them again through the bottom of the screen. The results appear as if a single apple is falling through all participating vines as you scroll through the app.
Here’s the inaugural Apple Drop entry.
Users dropped apples from the top of the screen, caught them, and then dropped them again through the bottom of the screen. The results appear as if a single apple is falling through all participating vines as you scroll through the app.
Here’s the inaugural Apple Drop entry.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Connected: GE Software Gives New York City’s Largest Power Plant New Brain
A GE software and hardware upgrade has increased electricity output by 5 percent at TransCanada’s Ravenswood power plant in New York City, enough to power 10,000 New York households. Read the story behind the The Future is Now TV ad.
When Woody Allen declares his love for New York City on a bench under the Queensboro Bridge in the movie Manhattan, another New York mainstay makes a quiet cameo. Looming in the morning dusk just across the East River is the Ravenswood Generating Station, New York’s largest power plant with enough capacity to energize a fifth of the Big Apple.
New Yorkers have been using power generated by Ravenswood’s machinery, which includes a massive GE gas turbine, to meet peak demand during sweltering summer weather for decades. But last year the plant’s owner, TransCanada Corp., decided that it was time to add brains to Ravenswood’s brawn. “We wanted to bring cleaner, more efficient power generation to the marketplace,” says John McWilliams, vice president of energy operations at TransCanada.
Rather than spending hundreds of millions on new equipment, TransCanada used GE’s latest software, control system and combustion hardware to upgrade the existing turbine. Workers connected sensors to software and replaced key turbine parts with new components made from advanced materials developed for GE jet engines. “We were basically able to plug-and-play the latest and greatest technology into our existing unit,” says McWilliams. “GE has helped us find ways to be quite competitive with our infrastructure for much, much less.”
McWilliams says that in the past, control systems regulated power plants by looking at a few discrete data points such as firing temperatures, discharge pressures, the ambient temperature and humidity. “It’s not the best, it’s not the worst, you are in an acceptable range of operations,” McWilliams says. But the new technology, which GE calls “FlexEfficiency Advantage Advanced Gas Path,” is constantly gathering and analyzing data critical to performance of the turbine. A multitude of sensors is checking gas flows, temperatures, pressures, humidity and other variables, and feeds it back into the control system. The system is using the data to fine-tune the turbine to make sure that it is always running at its optimal level. “It’s real time and it’s interactive,” says McWilliams. “As things are changing, the control system is responding and always optimizing the unit.”
McWilliams says that the upgrade gives TransCanada “the flexibility to actually make some decisions on what we want to optimize. We can optimize for fuel efficiency, we can optimize for output, we can optimize for reduction of environmental emissions, or we can balance and see improvements of all three.”
The GE software installed at Ravenswood reaches beyond a single plant. It connects to the industrial Internet, a digital network that links people, data and machines, and taps pools of data generated by the entire GE turbine fleet running the same software. “We have access to the global view of power generation,” says McWilliams. “It allows us to improve or at least benchmark our performance. For example, if a power station in Pittsburgh is having an issue, we are able to quickly assess and analyze whether we are facing the same risks and then make some decisions to eliminate the problem before it occurs.”
McWilliams is quick to point out that the information provides a global perspective that is not specific to any turbine. “I can’t look across the East River at another New York plant and see how they are operating,” he says. “It’s not specific to that plant, it’s specific to that technology. We have service agreements in place, so much of the information is already at GE’s fingertips because they are directly connected to the units and receive the data continuously.”
On the hardware side, GE has supplied Ravenswood with new turbine blades, shrouds, and nozzles using advanced materials like single-crystal alloys and coatings originally developed for jet engines. They allow TransCanada engineers to fire the turbine at hotter temperatures, which make combustion more fuel efficient and power generation more productive.
As a result of the upgrade, Ravenswood is using less fuel to produce the same amount of power, making electricity cheaper and, relatively speaking, cleaner. TransCanada says that the upgrade has increased output by 5 percent. That's enough electricity to power 10,000 New York households. Says Adam Addesso, manager of engineering projects at Ravenswood: “These upgrades displace more expensive megawatts on the system. It’s a win for everybody, and those are rare.”
Enter The Dragon: GE, Dragon Innovation Launch New Hardware Crowdfunding Platform
It almost always takes a village to bring a new product from the garage to market. From concept to capital and manufacturing to distribution, it takes many hands to turn, say, the Apple I into the Macintosh.
Over the last four years, the Boston-based Dragon Innovation has been helping hardware entrepreneurs to weather the development cycle, vet designs and crowdsource funding by allowing individuals to financially back projects they like. Today, Dragon added more power to its repertoire and teamed up with GE, Arrow Electronics and Freescale to create a new platform designed to help innovators cut time to market and boost competitiveness.
GE, for example, will give entrepreneurs access to senior staff inside GE, including R&D collaboration with GE Global Research labs. The company will also help with technology transfer, licensing opportunities and marketing. “The advanced manufacturing revolution depends on everyday inventors and maker communities who are bringing new ideas forward at a record place,” said Beth Comstock, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at GE.
Dragon Innovation already provides entrepreneurs with the tools for planning, funding, making and selling hardware products. Dragon’s team of experts helps them estimate costs and timelines, and set goals and ship dates. “Hardware entrepreneurs run the risk of running out of money, even with a perceived successful crowdfunding campaign, if they haven’t properly penciled out the costs behind delivering their project,” said Scott Miller, Dragon cofounder and CEO.
Miller says Dragon’s experience combined with GE’s resources could make the new platform a major player in the new world of crowdfunding products. “In the old days, firms would spend millions of dollars over the course of multiple years in stealth mode, then have a big product launch backed by a significant market spend to drive demand,” Miller told TechCrunch. “In some cases, this went well, and the product sold. In others, it did not.”
The new platform could help entrepreneurs cuts costs and improve the odds of a successful launch.
Over the last four years, the Boston-based Dragon Innovation has been helping hardware entrepreneurs to weather the development cycle, vet designs and crowdsource funding by allowing individuals to financially back projects they like. Today, Dragon added more power to its repertoire and teamed up with GE, Arrow Electronics and Freescale to create a new platform designed to help innovators cut time to market and boost competitiveness.
“Dragon helped us take our crowdfunding success and translate it into to shipping more than 100,000 Pebbles in just over a year," says Eric Migicovsky, founder and CEO of Pebble Technology.
GE, for example, will give entrepreneurs access to senior staff inside GE, including R&D collaboration with GE Global Research labs. The company will also help with technology transfer, licensing opportunities and marketing. “The advanced manufacturing revolution depends on everyday inventors and maker communities who are bringing new ideas forward at a record place,” said Beth Comstock, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at GE.
Dragon Innovation already provides entrepreneurs with the tools for planning, funding, making and selling hardware products. Dragon’s team of experts helps them estimate costs and timelines, and set goals and ship dates. “Hardware entrepreneurs run the risk of running out of money, even with a perceived successful crowdfunding campaign, if they haven’t properly penciled out the costs behind delivering their project,” said Scott Miller, Dragon cofounder and CEO.
Miller says Dragon’s experience combined with GE’s resources could make the new platform a major player in the new world of crowdfunding products. “In the old days, firms would spend millions of dollars over the course of multiple years in stealth mode, then have a big product launch backed by a significant market spend to drive demand,” Miller told TechCrunch. “In some cases, this went well, and the product sold. In others, it did not.”
The new platform could help entrepreneurs cuts costs and improve the odds of a successful launch.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Brain Trust: GE, NFL and Under Armour Challenge Innovators to Improve Concussion Prevention and Treatment
Concussions are a major concern in sports, but they can happen anywhere. At least 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur in the United States annually. These head traumas contribute to a third of all injury-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The National Football League, apparel and footwear maker Under Armour, and GE are paying attention. Today they launched the second stage of an innovation project designed to crowdsource new materials and tools to protect the brain and track head injuries in real time. The best submissions in this stage will share up to $10 million in prize money.
The project called Head Health Challenge is a four-year, $60 million collaboration aiming to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injuries, and increase the safety of athletes, members of the military and the public.
The challenge calls on innovators to develop active polymers and other smart materials that absorb or distribute impact forces. It is also looking for new systems that anticipate head blows and initiate protective responses by adaptive padding.
The organizers are also seeking technology that could monitor forces and share the information with imaging and diagnostic equipment, and “biofeedback” sensors that can help train athletes to minimize injury. Finally, the challenge is looking for data specialists who can develop systems that efficiently collect, organize and interpret large quantities of real-time “head” data. “GE is investing to speed up the study of head health,” says Sue Siegel, CEO of Business Innovations at GE. “Through this challenge, we hope to stimulate the broader ecosystem of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators worldwide to bring their talents to this effort and accelerate the current understanding of brain trauma.”
Competitors can submit their ideas from now through Jan. 30, 2014, at www.headhealthchallenge.com. Up to 10 participants will be selected as finalists in September 2014, and earn as much as $500,000 each. Up to five of those finalists will be awarded as much as $1 million after a second phase of judging.
The first Head Health challenge ended in July with more than 400 submissions from 25 countries. Winners of the first stage will be announced later this year.
The National Football League, apparel and footwear maker Under Armour, and GE are paying attention. Today they launched the second stage of an innovation project designed to crowdsource new materials and tools to protect the brain and track head injuries in real time. The best submissions in this stage will share up to $10 million in prize money.
The project called Head Health Challenge is a four-year, $60 million collaboration aiming to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injuries, and increase the safety of athletes, members of the military and the public.
The best submissions to the second stage of the Health Head Challenge will share up to $10 million in prize money.
The challenge calls on innovators to develop active polymers and other smart materials that absorb or distribute impact forces. It is also looking for new systems that anticipate head blows and initiate protective responses by adaptive padding.
The organizers are also seeking technology that could monitor forces and share the information with imaging and diagnostic equipment, and “biofeedback” sensors that can help train athletes to minimize injury. Finally, the challenge is looking for data specialists who can develop systems that efficiently collect, organize and interpret large quantities of real-time “head” data. “GE is investing to speed up the study of head health,” says Sue Siegel, CEO of Business Innovations at GE. “Through this challenge, we hope to stimulate the broader ecosystem of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators worldwide to bring their talents to this effort and accelerate the current understanding of brain trauma.”
Competitors can submit their ideas from now through Jan. 30, 2014, at www.headhealthchallenge.com. Up to 10 participants will be selected as finalists in September 2014, and earn as much as $500,000 each. Up to five of those finalists will be awarded as much as $1 million after a second phase of judging.
The first Head Health challenge ended in July with more than 400 submissions from 25 countries. Winners of the first stage will be announced later this year.
The Right Stuff: GE Tech Has Been at the Launch Pad since the Dawn of Space Flight
Humans have been sending objects and each other to space for close to 50 years. GE technology has been near the launch pad since the beginning. On March 17, 1958, for example, a GE-powered Vanguard rocket blasted the Vanguard 1 satellite to space. That probe is today the oldest man-made object in space. (The first two Russian Sputniks and the U.S. Explorer 1 that preceded it fell back to earth decades ago.)
In 1960, GE's Discovery XIII satellite became the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit around Earth. After completing 17 trips around the earth in 27 hours, Discovery brought back the first color photos of our planet from an altitude of 700 miles.
This list could go on. GE engineers keep working with NASA to crack tough problems and solve scientific riddles. When the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on descent from orbit in 2003, GE scientists together with NASA and industry partners developed repair kits for astronauts to fix up damage to the shuttle fleet in space and prevent similar disasters in the future. The team designed the kits from special ceramic composite materials whose offspring now serve inside next-generation jet engines like the LEAP and GE9X.
Another riddle involved eyesight. NASA documented at least seven cases where astronauts with healthy eyes returned to Earth with altered vision. Engineers at GE Global Research developed a special ultrasound probe to track changes in their vision during exposure to microgravity. It has been since used on the International Space Station. Scientists hope that back on earth the research could advance the understanding of the underlying causes of traumatic brain injuries and lead to better monitoring of changes in brain pressure in people who sustain blows to the head.
Today, anybody can experience multiples of early GE space power. The GE rocket engine that took Vanguard 1 to space produced 30,000 pounds of thrust. GE’s largest jet engine, the GE90-115, can generate up to 127,900 pounds. They power many Boeing 777 aircraft.
Take a look at our slideshow.
[slides image_align="left"]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace4.jpg"]
In 1969, GE built an underwater habitat off the Caribbean island of St. John. Called Tektite I, part of the habitat’s purpose was for NASA to conduct research on how crews would behave during long-duration space missions. It was built from two steel cylinders that were connected via a passageway. The program lasted two months, and aquanauts spent a total of 432 man-hours in the habitat. Image courtesy OAR/National Undersea Research Program.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace5.jpg"]
To help engineers figure out how to get space vehicles off the Earth and to far away destinations, GE created this circular slide rule called the Space Propulsion Calculator. On the front are solutions for rocketry beam power, thrust, propellant consumption, specific impulse and exhaust velocity. The calculator also let users compute numbers for chemical, nuclear and photon rockets as well as magnetohydrodynamic and ion drives. The back offers calculations for planetary data like revolutions, gravity and astronomical constants. Production date unknown. Image courtesy International Slide Rule Museum.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Lunar-Landing.gif"]
GE engineers ground-tested Apollo 11’s command and lunar modules. NASA attached a GE jet engine to the Lunar Lander Test Vehicle to simulate the moon’s weaker gravity.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree1.jpg"]
The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft launched in 1977. They are currently exploring the edge of the solar system. GE engineers designed the Voyagers’ command computers directing the flight path and providing communication links with NASA Mission Control. They also developed the probes’ electricity generator for the spacecraft’s instruments, computers, radio and other systems. The Voyagers have sent back detailed images of the solar system planets and their moons, confirmed the existence of Neptune’s rings, and gathered data about stars near the edges of the Milky Way.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree1A.jpg"]
The Voyagers’s next mission is to explore the boundary of the Solar System. NASA now estimates that the probes will survive until 2025. The Voyagers also carry cargo designed to communicate a message from Earth to extraterrestrials. Each probe holds a special phonograph record, a 12-inch encoded gold-plated copper disc containing music, sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, from Bach and Chuck Berry to birds, heartbeat, and laughter.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree2.jpg"]
GE engineers led the design, integration and testing of the 14-foot, 4,400-pound Landsat 4 and Landsat 5 satellites that photographed Earth from 1982 until 2012. GE also managed the flight and ground missions of the spacecraft, and GE’s digital image analysis lab in Lanham, Maryland, processed their images to reveal details as small as 30 meters long, such as highways and bridges. In March 2012, Landsat 5 entered the Guinness World Records book as the “longest-operating Earth observation satellite.” The spacecraft was designed for a three-year mission but served for nearly 30 years.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Dubai.gif"]
GE engineers led the design, integration and testing of the 14-foot, 4,400-pound Landsat 4 and Landsat 5 satellites that photographed Earth from 1982 until 2012. This time-lapse compiled from Landsat photographs shows the rate of Dubai’s growth at one frame per year from 2000 through 2011. Source: NASA
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree3.jpg"]
The Hexagon and Gambit were among the largest spy satellites ever built. They were the size of a tractor trailer, 10 feet in diameter and 55 feet in length. GE engineers designed and built recovery vehicles, command systems, mission planning software and other systems critical for the mission.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree4.jpg"]
The top secret spy satellite programs ran from 1963 to 1986. In 1984, President Reagan commended the engineers and others who worked on the satellites. But the presidential honor remained secret until 2011, when the program was declassified.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree5.jpg"]
The technology to beam images from space wirelessly was then still in its infancy. This formerly top secret photograph shows workers "de-spooling" film from recovery vehicles.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BreakingFree7.jpg"]
GE engineers, in collaboration with NASA and industry partners, helped design and fabricate unique patches to plug up in space debris damage on the shuttle’s wings and belly that caused the Columbia disater. The patches were made from a special ceramic composite material that could survive wild temperature swings, from minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit in orbit to a 3,000-degree inferno caused by the drag of Earth’s atmosphere during the shuttle’s 17,000 miles-per-hour descent.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace1.jpg"]
GE built the X-405 liquid-fueled rocket engine for the first stage of the Vanguard rocket, which successfully placed America’s second satellite into orbit in 1958. Image courtesy National Air and Space Museum.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace2.jpg"]
President Dwight Eisenhower stands with the recovered Discovery satellite. In 1960, GE's Discovery XIII became the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit around Earth. Completing 17 trips around the earth in 27 hours, Discovery also brought back the first color photos of our home planet from altitudes of up to 700 miles.
[/image]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace3.jpg"]
Buzz Aldrin poses on the moon. His visor reflects Armstrong and the lunar lander. More than 6,000 GE employees worked to help put Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon in 1969. In fact, Armstrong’s first step on the moon occurred with boots made from GE silicone rubber. The company also supplied the Apollo program’s overall quality control, systems engineering support, launch vehicle test facilities and the ship-to-satellite system that provided the first live color TV pictures of splash-down and recovery. Courtesy NASA.
[/image]
[/slides]
In 1960, GE's Discovery XIII satellite became the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit around Earth. After completing 17 trips around the earth in 27 hours, Discovery brought back the first color photos of our planet from an altitude of 700 miles.
This list could go on. GE engineers keep working with NASA to crack tough problems and solve scientific riddles. When the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on descent from orbit in 2003, GE scientists together with NASA and industry partners developed repair kits for astronauts to fix up damage to the shuttle fleet in space and prevent similar disasters in the future. The team designed the kits from special ceramic composite materials whose offspring now serve inside next-generation jet engines like the LEAP and GE9X.
Another riddle involved eyesight. NASA documented at least seven cases where astronauts with healthy eyes returned to Earth with altered vision. Engineers at GE Global Research developed a special ultrasound probe to track changes in their vision during exposure to microgravity. It has been since used on the International Space Station. Scientists hope that back on earth the research could advance the understanding of the underlying causes of traumatic brain injuries and lead to better monitoring of changes in brain pressure in people who sustain blows to the head.
Today, anybody can experience multiples of early GE space power. The GE rocket engine that took Vanguard 1 to space produced 30,000 pounds of thrust. GE’s largest jet engine, the GE90-115, can generate up to 127,900 pounds. They power many Boeing 777 aircraft.
Take a look at our slideshow.
[slides image_align="left"]
[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace4.jpg"]
In 1969, GE built an underwater habitat off the Caribbean island of St. John. Called Tektite I, part of the habitat’s purpose was for NASA to conduct research on how crews would behave during long-duration space missions. It was built from two steel cylinders that were connected via a passageway. The program lasted two months, and aquanauts spent a total of 432 man-hours in the habitat. Image courtesy OAR/National Undersea Research Program.
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[image src="http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/InSpace5.jpg"]
To help engineers figure out how to get space vehicles off the Earth and to far away destinations, GE created this circular slide rule called the Space Propulsion Calculator. On the front are solutions for rocketry beam power, thrust, propellant consumption, specific impulse and exhaust velocity. The calculator also let users compute numbers for chemical, nuclear and photon rockets as well as magnetohydrodynamic and ion drives. The back offers calculations for planetary data like revolutions, gravity and astronomical constants. Production date unknown. Image courtesy International Slide Rule Museum.
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GE engineers ground-tested Apollo 11’s command and lunar modules. NASA attached a GE jet engine to the Lunar Lander Test Vehicle to simulate the moon’s weaker gravity.
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The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft launched in 1977. They are currently exploring the edge of the solar system. GE engineers designed the Voyagers’ command computers directing the flight path and providing communication links with NASA Mission Control. They also developed the probes’ electricity generator for the spacecraft’s instruments, computers, radio and other systems. The Voyagers have sent back detailed images of the solar system planets and their moons, confirmed the existence of Neptune’s rings, and gathered data about stars near the edges of the Milky Way.
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The Voyagers’s next mission is to explore the boundary of the Solar System. NASA now estimates that the probes will survive until 2025. The Voyagers also carry cargo designed to communicate a message from Earth to extraterrestrials. Each probe holds a special phonograph record, a 12-inch encoded gold-plated copper disc containing music, sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, from Bach and Chuck Berry to birds, heartbeat, and laughter.
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GE engineers led the design, integration and testing of the 14-foot, 4,400-pound Landsat 4 and Landsat 5 satellites that photographed Earth from 1982 until 2012. GE also managed the flight and ground missions of the spacecraft, and GE’s digital image analysis lab in Lanham, Maryland, processed their images to reveal details as small as 30 meters long, such as highways and bridges. In March 2012, Landsat 5 entered the Guinness World Records book as the “longest-operating Earth observation satellite.” The spacecraft was designed for a three-year mission but served for nearly 30 years.
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GE engineers led the design, integration and testing of the 14-foot, 4,400-pound Landsat 4 and Landsat 5 satellites that photographed Earth from 1982 until 2012. This time-lapse compiled from Landsat photographs shows the rate of Dubai’s growth at one frame per year from 2000 through 2011. Source: NASA
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The Hexagon and Gambit were among the largest spy satellites ever built. They were the size of a tractor trailer, 10 feet in diameter and 55 feet in length. GE engineers designed and built recovery vehicles, command systems, mission planning software and other systems critical for the mission.
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The top secret spy satellite programs ran from 1963 to 1986. In 1984, President Reagan commended the engineers and others who worked on the satellites. But the presidential honor remained secret until 2011, when the program was declassified.
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The technology to beam images from space wirelessly was then still in its infancy. This formerly top secret photograph shows workers "de-spooling" film from recovery vehicles.
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GE engineers, in collaboration with NASA and industry partners, helped design and fabricate unique patches to plug up in space debris damage on the shuttle’s wings and belly that caused the Columbia disater. The patches were made from a special ceramic composite material that could survive wild temperature swings, from minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit in orbit to a 3,000-degree inferno caused by the drag of Earth’s atmosphere during the shuttle’s 17,000 miles-per-hour descent.
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GE built the X-405 liquid-fueled rocket engine for the first stage of the Vanguard rocket, which successfully placed America’s second satellite into orbit in 1958. Image courtesy National Air and Space Museum.
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President Dwight Eisenhower stands with the recovered Discovery satellite. In 1960, GE's Discovery XIII became the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit around Earth. Completing 17 trips around the earth in 27 hours, Discovery also brought back the first color photos of our home planet from altitudes of up to 700 miles.
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Buzz Aldrin poses on the moon. His visor reflects Armstrong and the lunar lander. More than 6,000 GE employees worked to help put Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon in 1969. In fact, Armstrong’s first step on the moon occurred with boots made from GE silicone rubber. The company also supplied the Apollo program’s overall quality control, systems engineering support, launch vehicle test facilities and the ship-to-satellite system that provided the first live color TV pictures of splash-down and recovery. Courtesy NASA.
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