QUANTIFYING THE BENEFITS TO THE NATIONAL ECONOMY FROM SECONDARY APPLICATIONS OF NASA TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

摘要

Over the past one and a half decades, NASA and advanced aerospace technology have become virtually synonymous in the minds of people the world over. Yet as impressive as America's accomplishments in space have been, people intimate with NASA's past and continuing research and development efforts recognize that these programs have fostered valuable technological spillovers as well.nThis study investigates the feasibility of systematically quantifying the economic benefits of secondary applications of NASA related R&D. Based upon the tools of economic theory and econometric analysis, it develops a set of empirical methods and makes selected applications to demonstrate their workability. Analyses of the technological developments related to integrated circuits, cryogenic insulation, gas turbines, and computer programs for structural analysis indicated substantial secondary benefits accruing from NASA's R&D in these areas.