Peter Homer Wins NASA's Challenge for Improved Astronaut Gloves

May 3, 2007

David E. Steitz/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1730/4997

Alan Hayes
Volanz Aerospace, Inc., Owings, Md.
202-498-6804

RELEASE: 07-101

PETER HOMER WINS NASA'S CHALLENGE FOR IMPROVED ASTRONAUT GLOVES

WASHINGTON - On Thursday, May 3, Peter Homer of Southwest Harbor,
Maine, won $200,000 from NASA for his entry in the Astronaut Glove
Challenge. The competition was one of NASA's seven Centennial
Challenges and took place May 2-3 at the New England Air Museum at
Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Conn.

To win the prize, Homer's glove design performed better overall than
the competition in tests that rated the glove's strength, flexibility
and comfort. Homer's innovations in finger dexterity could enhance
NASA's future astronaut gloves. Competitors from Saint Cloud, Fla.,
Yonkers, N.Y., Logan, Utah, and New York also registered for the
challenge.

When performing a space walk, NASA astronauts use their hands as their
primary way to move around and complete tasks. After many hours of
working inside the pressurized gloves, the force required by the
astronauts to move their fingers and wrists back and forth repeatedly
often results in blisters, abrasions and damaged fingernails. New
technologies would reduce discomfort and make the astronauts' jobs
easier and safer.

During this same competition, $50,000 was offered for Mechanical
Counter-Pressure gloves, but there were no entries in this category.

At no cost to NASA, Volanz Aerospace, Inc., Owings, Md., administered
the challenge. Hamilton Sundstrand of Windsor Locks, Conn., NASA's
prime contractor for the current space suit, and ILC Dover of
Frederica, Del., were sponsors of the contest.

The Astronaut Glove Challenge will be conducted again next year. With
the unclaimed $50,000 from the 2007 contest, the award for the 2008
competition will increase from $350,000 to $400,000.

Centennial Challenges, an element of NASA's Innovative Partnerships
Program, promotes technical innovation through prize competitions to
make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space
Exploration and NASA goals. For more information about the Innovative
Partnerships Program and Centennial Challenges, visit:

http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/cc

For more information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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