Open Technology
Greetings. My name is Stephen Steiner. I am new to Open NASA.
I am interested in what we as a society could create by open sourcing all technologies–not just computer code, but chemistry, materials, energy, automation, and more.
As an experiment in this spirit, my colleague (and artist-by-training) Will Walker and I co-founded Aerogel.org, an open-source resource about aerogels (the “original nanotechnology”). The mission of the project is
“…to empower, inspire, and motivate people to pursue nanotechnology using open source methodology and to catalyze the discovery of new technological possibilities for aerogel materials in the process.”
To do this, we had to develop an approach to try to make what is easily an impenetrable subject to a newcomer into something digestible by anyone with the interest to learn. As part of this approach, we felt that making straightforward information about exciting science available to everyone is the best way to do so and simultaneously stimulates people to pursue science, engineering, and other creative endeavors.
So I’d like to start some “open technology” on Open NASA to transition some of the knowledge we in technological pursuit have learned to those who want to get involved. Some ideas I have:
- Open carbon nanotubes–how to grow, growth models, unsolved problems
- Open biotech–how to take what we know affordably to the third world
- (Somewhat ironically) open closed loop tech–how to close-loop manufacturing, consumption, and energy production (great for a spaceship, or a planet)
- Open energy–yes, garage innovations are left to be had, even in the 21st Century!
- and of course, open aerogel
What if we could even get NASA to open-source some of its technology development?
What do you think?
7 Responses to “Open Technology”
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John Pritchard on March 5th, 2010
Stephen, great to see you here at Open NASA!
Default open rather than default closed. There’s a lot of ideas’ exchanging going on as this is happening. And of course some of my faves, like LH2/LOX production and propulsion systems, have ITAR / public security headaches.
John
mrdoornbos on March 5th, 2010
Excellent idea. No reason Open has to be just in the digital world.
Jessy on March 5th, 2010
there are some comments along these lines on the ideascale discussion currently happening. i would definitely encourage you to make sure this idea is represented there!
http://opennasa.ideascale.com
ssteiner on March 6th, 2010
Thanks, Jessy! I posted this http://opennasa.ideascale.com/a/dtd/33313-7044 to expand the conversation more towards open technology.
John–definitely. Default open before default closed.
one on March 6th, 2010
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my “Houston, You Have A Problem” article explains the right way to solve the NASA problems
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http://www.newspaceagency.com/.....oblem.html
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Tim846 on March 11th, 2010
Hi Stevie!
Awesome to see you posting here. Great topic! And now, some detailed questions (now that you have my mind working):
I’d love to hear ideas on moving from the “open = transparency” model to an “open = participatory” model.
[Transparency being where processes and technologies are sufficiently explained so that others can understand what is happening and, potentially, replicate those processes and recreate the technologies independently.
Participatory being where someone who is actively using the technology/process has the opportunity to collaborate with other users and make improvements to a process or technology in such a way that they can be incorporated into future iterations by the community.]
Basically, how do you stop talking TO people and start talking WITH them about what’s going on? When does someone stop being a student of the process experts and become their colleague? How do you foster innovation in a community where there are vastly different levels of knowledge and experience?
With computer software, it is easy for anyone to download a software development kit and tinker: all it takes is a computer, bandwidth, and time. If they don’t get their Linux kernel to compile, no big deal! When working with rocket engines (or cryogenics), the barrier to entry is much higher and the risks of failure can be much greater.
Do you think that barriers to entry will affect the type of people able to participate in technology development? If so, is it really “open” at all?
[Also, I think I ate too much sugar today!]
ssteiner on March 11th, 2010
Hi Tim–your question is a good one. We’ve been wrestling with this on Aerogel.org for some time. I’ve got some ideas that I’ll write up in a new post and maybe we can start a more in-depth conversation.