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Artist rendering of the Ball smallsat, set to carry the Green Propellant Infusion Mission to space for flight-testing in 2015.
What's the Latest?

Read about the progress of the Technology Demonstration Missions via bi-monthly newsletters.

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Contact Us

For more information, please contact:

Randy Lillard
Technology Demonstration Missions Program Executive
NASA Headquarters, Washington DC

John M. McDougal
Technology Demonstration Missions Program Manager
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

Shannon Ridinger
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

Technology Demonstration Latest News

NASA EDGE Investigates the NASA Technology Demonstration Missions

NASA EDGE: Technology Demonstration Missions -- Part 1

NASA EDGE takes the role of investigator to an entirely new level as they examine three of NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions.

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Chris Provenche observes astronaut Kevin Ford set up and supervise the red Smart SPHERES activity.

'Smart SPHERES' Fly High Aboard Space Station

In the future, small robots similar to the SPHERES experiment could perform routine maintenance and give astronauts more time for science experiments.

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MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrument, or MEDLI

NASA X: MEDLI and Mars Curiosity Rover

Go behind the scenes with "NASA X" to see how NASA's MEDLI team helped the Curiosity rover achieve success at the Red Planet.

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The NASA Low Density Supersonic Decelerator team gathers around the SIAD R -- a Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator they are developing to assist future planetary exploration missions.

Supersonic Decelerator Project 'On Track' for Success

NASA's racing through milestones in its development of new atmospheric deceleration technologies to support future planetary missions.

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About NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions (TDM)

    Bridging the gap. That's the mission of NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions: to bridge the gap between need and means, between scientific and engineering challenges and the technological innovations needed to overcome them, between laboratory development and demonstration in space.

    Charged with proving revolutionary, crosscutting technologies -- ones that could radically advance NASA's mission in space and reap untold benefits for science and industry here on Earth -- the Technology Demonstration Missions program seeks to mature laboratory-proven technologies to flight-ready status.

    Once a technology is proven in the laboratory environment, the program becomes its bridge from ground to flight testing. System-level technology solutions are given the opportunity to operate in the actual space environment -- where they gain operational heritage, reduce risks to future missions by eliminating the need to fly unproven hardware and continue NASA's long history as a technological innovator. These cutting-edge technologies will allow future NASA missions to pursue bolder and more sophisticated science, enable safe and rewarding human missions beyond low-Earth orbit and enable entirely new approaches to U.S. space operations.

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Mission Statement

    Bridging the gap is the mission of NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions -- the gap between need and means; scientific and engineering challenges and innovations to meet them; lab development and space demonstration.

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Technologies

TDM in the News

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