The Space Foundation announced today that KeyMaster X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is officially recognized as a Certified Space Technology ™. KeyMaster Technologies, Inc., of Kennewick, Wash., developed the XRF analyzer to perform on-the-spot chemical analyses. NASA enhanced and used it on Space Shuttle Discovery to determine the composition of aluminum alloy parts to an accuracy of four decimal places.
“The Space Foundation is pleased to certify KeyMaster’s XRF technology,” said Kevin Cook, director of Space Technology Awareness for the Space Foundation. “KeyMaster has successfully advanced a technology that is useful for the exploration of outer space and here on Earth within the aerospace industry.”
NASA engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., teamed with KeyMaster to develop the XRF analyzer, which is lightweight but capable of quick and accurate analysis of aluminum, titanium, and other elements. The XRF technology was developed to meet the need to analyze space shuttle propulsion systems on the launch pad. This technological advancement is important to the aerospace and aviation community because aluminum and titanium previously have been undetectable with portable X-ray fluorescence.
KeyMaster technology combines the multiple scientific disciplines of chemistry and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) to create a process of tagging and detecting the elements present in a given product, providing a system for material authentication and quality control. XRF is capable of detecting all of the elements present in the periodic table with atomic energies as low as sulfur and as high as plutonium, in concentrations ranging from 100 percent to a few parts per million.
“Our partnership with NASA has resulted in an entirely new and valuable use of our XRF technology. We are delighted to play a part in the space program and proud to join the Space Foundation in its space awareness efforts,” said John Landefeld, chief executive officer of KeyMaster Technologies, Inc.
Since the dawn of the space era, the world’s best engineers at NASA have been developing advanced technologies that fuel America’s efforts in space and also result in a number of earthly applications. The Space Certification Program, managed by the Space Foundation, provides official recognition for qualified products and services incorporating those space technologies. For more information, visit www.SpaceConnection.org.
About KeyMaster Technologies, Inc.
KeyMaster Technologies, Inc., has world-leading patented technology in the areas of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and elemental taggant technology. The company is pioneering the application of these technologies in the fields of brand protection/authentication, anti-counterfeiting, security, loss prevention and quality control. For more information, visit www.KeyMasterTech.com
About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that vigorously advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and educational excellence. The Space Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., and Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Space Foundation signature event, the National Space Symposium, is scheduled for April 3-6, 2006, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. Along with partnering organizations, the Space Foundation also conducts Inside Aerospace, April 24-25, 2006, in Washington, D.C.; Strategic Space, 10-12 Oct. 2006 in Omaha, Neb.; and Florida Space. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org.
