Charles Redmond
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                
February 3, 1994
(Phone:  202/358-1757)

RELEASE:  94-17

NASA/INDUSTRY PIONEER TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT PROGRAM

   NASA and Hi-Shear Technology Corp., Torrance, Calif., have 
teamed together in a cooperative agreement as part of the 
Technology Reinvestment Program (TRP) to develop a new generation 
of portable emergency rescue equipment.  This is the first such 
government/industry TRP partnership.  

   The equipment will use NASA-developed pyrotechnical technology 
to modernize current hydraulic-powered cutters used by fire and 
rescue teams to free accident victims from wreckages.  The $1.6 
million program will be developed with the assistance of the 
Torrance, Calif., fire department.

   Current emergency rescue equipment uses expensive, 
gasoline-powered hydraulic pumps, hoses and cutters to perform 
these rescue services.  Using NASA technology and Hi-Shear 
Technology research, the new generation cutters will eliminate 
umbilical connections to cumbersome hydraulic pumps by using 
pyrotechnic cartridges, which will create an estimated 50 percent 
weight savings and a 70 percent cost reduction in the equipment.  

   This new generation of equipment will be cost-effective for 
smaller fire departments and rescue squads as well as portable 
enough for military and civil search and rescue helicopter 
operations.

   The joint effort by NASA and Hi-Shear Technology represents an 
example of NASA's desire to transfer government-sponsored 
technology applications over to America's commercial markets.  
This activity will preserve an important aerospace industry by 
transitioning this government-developed technology into commercial 
products and should generate millions of dollars in cost savings 
for local, state and federal government rescue services.  

   The Department of Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency is 
the TRP lead agency.  NASA, the Departments of Commerce, Energy 
and Transportation and the National Science Foundation are 
participating members in the joint Technology Reinvestment 
Program.

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