University of Delaware wins NASA money

The University of Delaware is receiving stellar praise after two of its programs were tapped by NASA this week, to conduct research through the space agency’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

“Every time I learn about another Delaware innovation finding application in the space sciences, I get filled with pride about our state’s extraordinary potential,” Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) said Friday. “I applaud NASA for recognizing the cutting edge research being done here in our state.”

UD says the first project would make space suits even safer thanks to Chemical Engineering Professor Norman Wagner, who developed a thickening fluid that can be spread on materials like Kevlar to make the suits more puncture-resistant.

According to the university, the second research project, headed by UD Physics and Astronomy Professor John Xiao, takes advantage of cutting-edge physics allowing scientists to see things in a more detailed manner than they have ever been able to see before.

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Each research project was awarded $750,000. EPSCoR Research solicits topic-specific proposals addressing high-priority NASA research and technology development needs.

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