NASA worked with aerospace and racing companies to produce an advanced line of lubricants that protect engines at higher speeds and temperatures. The lubricants were originally formulated to handle the heavy-duty requirements of transporting the space shuttle and mobile launcher platform. Effective and also biodegradable, they are now being used in automobiles, race cars, household products and sporting goods.
The platform NASA’s spacecraft sit on right before launch can move! It starts in the assembly building, where the rocket gets put together, and then the whole thing is pulled to the launch site. But it’s really heavy: even totally empty, the platform weighs about 8 million pounds. So the crawler, which hauls it around, has a big job. Back in 1994, NASA sought a new type of lubricant to grease the wheels of the crawler that would be safe for the environment.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts advanced lubricants within your city's automotive environment!