Launch is approaching for NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere or PUNCH mission, led by SwRI. Four suitcase-sized satellites equipped with special instruments are setting out to capture the first images of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles that flows out from the Sun’s corona. PUNCH will examine the solar wind in low-Earth orbit, protected by our planet’s magnetosphere. The mission is exploring space weather and its impact on Earth, including how it affects power grids, satellites and astronauts.

Listen now as Dr. Craig DeForest, SwRI space scientist, heliophysics expert and PUNCH principal investigator, discusses the mission’s upcoming launch, how PUNCH will make the invisible solar wind visible for the first time and his inspiration to study the Sun, the star that powers our planet.

SwRI researchers used the machine-learning tool Highlight™ to evaluate dozens of consumer products for chemicals, and the potential for human exposure. They looked at clothing, upholstery, fabrics, rubber and plastics samples and subjected them to various heat settings and solvents. They determined what chemicals were present and whether they could be emitted or extracted with normal use. Researchers identified both chemicals known to be harmful to human health and safe chemicals in the household products. The collaborative study with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was published in the Environmental Science & Technology Journal.

Listen now as SwRI analytical chemist Dr. Kristin Favela and chemical engineer William Watson discuss how the study will advance the field of exposomics, the type of products that tested as most risky and the SwRI software tool that illuminated the data.

It was a spectacular year of learning about Project Z, a total eclipse, H2-ICE, UHIs, Europa and more. If you listened in 2024, you’re familiar with these topics and are closing the year with a little more expertise in science and engineering. Now, we’re going back, recalling the SwRI technologies, tools, projects and programs that caught our attention this year.

Listen now as podcast host Lisa Peña recaps 2024 and takes us through the inspiring and fascinating topics of the year. For all episodes, complete transcripts and photos, visit Technology Today Podcast.

Traumatic brain injury or TBI occurs when an outside force causes a head injury that affects brain function or results in disability or death. TBI can happen to anyone. Causes include a fall, car accident and sports and combat injuries. SwRI researchers are targeting TBI with cutting-edge solutions. The Advanced Military Measure of Olfaction or AMMO is a screening test for smell loss, an indicator of TBI that can signal a need to elevate care. SwRI and The University of Texas at San Antonio are working to prevent TBI with specialized military helmet pads made of material that reacts to changing forces.

Listen now as Senior Research Engineer Kreg Zimmern, leading the development of AMMO, and Research Engineer Dr. Daniel Portillo, leading SwRI helmet pad research, discuss pushing boundaries in brain health to screen for and prevent TBI.

SwRI’s Internal Research and Development Program supports scientists and engineers exploring unproven ideas or concepts. The program’s researchers are making impactful discoveries that evolve into solutions for the Institute’s government and industry clients. Over the past decade, SwRI has invested more than $77 million into research and development to benefit humankind, including space instruments, autonomous driving technology, clean energy initiatives and more. The IR&D Program gives curious researchers the freedom and resources to experiment, test and investigate with the goals of advancing science, investing in the future and creating business development opportunities.

Listen now as SwRI Executive Vice President and COO Walt Downing, IR&D program administrator, discusses some of the program’s top achievements, how projects are selected for funding and the program’s world-changing contributions to science and discovery.

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will investigate a vast saltwater ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The spacecraft, equipped with nine instruments, will gather data in search of ingredients that support life. SwRI designed and built two of the instruments onboard Clipper, the Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph and the Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration. The mission could help answer big questions about the origin of life on Earth and whether that process can occur elsewhere in our solar system. The launch window for Clipper opens October 10 and the spacecraft is expected to enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2030.

Listen now as SwRI space scientists Dr. Jim Burch and Dr. Kurt Retherford, principal investigators of SwRI’s Clipper instruments, talk about preparations before launch, mission goals, and the SwRI instruments contributing to our understanding of astrobiology, the study of the potential for life beyond our planet.

When dense concentrations of pavement and buildings replace green spaces, a community risks becoming an urban heat island (UHI). UHI temperatures can be up to 20 degrees higher than surrounding areas, causing heat-related health and safety problems for people in the community. SwRI is working with the city of San Antonio to rapidly identify UHIs and pinpoint areas where people will most benefit from solutions like covered bus stops, water features, green spaces and more. An SwRI-designed tool is integrating and analyzing information from more than 200 sources to strategically combat high temperatures.

Listen now as SwRI engineers Shane Siebenaler and Justin Long discuss SwRI’s data fusion tool used to identify areas that most need relief from the scorching summer heat.

SwRI is designing, building and operating the QuickSounder satellite, a collaborative mission between NASA and NOAA and the first in a new generation of low-Earth orbit environmental satellites. NOAA’s low-Earth orbit satellites collect weather data and provide information for the 3-to-7-day forecasts we use to plan our days and stay safe in severe weather. QuickSounder will also provide weather data, but what makes this prototype unique is the fast production timeline and the low construction cost. It is being developed in one-fifth of the time and at one-tenth of the cost of previous weather satellite technology.

Listen now as QuickSounder Program Manager Keith Smith and Lead Systems Engineer Steve Thompson explain what the advanced production timeline means for weather forecasting and the challenges of designing and building the weather satellite in record time.

An SwRI-led consortium is tackling decarbonization of the transportation industry with a hydrogen internal combustion engine or H2-ICE vehicle. The world is on a deadline to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Experts say multiple technologies are needed to dial back global warming and attain that rigorous goal. SwRI engineers and members of the H2-ICE Consortium are showcasing a new hydrogen engine for heavy-duty vehicles, which could be a high-impact solution to curb harmful emissions.

Listen now as H2-ICE Consortium Program Manager Ryan Williams discusses the breakthrough H2-ICE vehicle, why it’s a standout decarbonization alternative and challenges to getting it on the road nationwide.

Engineers in SwRI’s new Space Robotics Center are developing software to operate robots in space. Robots are called in when a job is too dangerous for humans but they move differently in space. The Space Robotics Center captures cosmic characteristics, like lighting fluctuations and low friction, allowing development of robotics in a space-like environment. The center specializes in simulation, advanced perception, robot manipulation and off-road autonomy, capabilities that allow robots to accomplish assembly, manufacturing and other tasks in space.

Listen now as SwRI engineers Meera Day Towler and Lily Baye Wallace discuss the advancing field of space robotics, the Institute’s new cutting-edge center and the future of space robotics technology.