Dr. John Olver, President and CEO of Emisshield, Inc., and a Virginia Tech graduate,was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in a recent ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Paul Fisher, founder of Fisher Space Pens was inducted posthumously into the hall of fame. His son, Carey Fisher, president and CEO of Fisher Space Pens, accepted the award on his behalf.
In addition, Emisshield, Inc., and NASA Ames Research Center Entry Systems and Technology Division received the Space Foundation’s Organization Award. Carol W. Carroll, deputy director for Ames and a graduate of Virginia Tech, accepted the award on behalf of Ames.
Emisshield manufactures and sells heat protective coatings throughout the world. The technology behind the coating was invented at NASA’s Ames Research Center in the early 1990s as a protective coating for use on spacecraft and was licensed to Emisshield, Inc. in 1996. Both Emisshield, Inc., and Fisher Space Pens met the Space Foundation’s judging criteria; “adapting space technologies into commercial products that improve our quality of life on Earth.”
In recognizing the new honorees, Space Foundation CEO Tom Zelibor said “This year’s inductees truly represent the spirit of the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Both produce products that had their beginnings in space exploration and are now found in homes, businesses, and communities around the world. Congratulations to these visionary leaders who had the foresight to develop and market these tools so we can utilize them on earth.”
Upon acceptance, Dr. Olver said, “This is a prestigious award, and I am honored to have received it.”
Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocate organization founded in 1983 for the global space ecosystem, began the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988. It recognizes the life-changing technologies emerging from global space programs, honors the scientists, engineers, and innovators responsible, and communicates to the public the importance of these technologies as a return on investment in space exploration.
