NASA Technology Transfer MCP

Search 2,000+ NASA-patented technologies available for licensing — directly from your AI assistant. Filter by Technology Readiness Level, category, NASA center, and keyword.

Overview

This Apify Actor exposes NASA's Technology Transfer Portal through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, making it easy to discover licensable NASA inventions inside Claude, GPT-4, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI workflow.

NASA has developed thousands of groundbreaking technologies across aerospace, materials science, sensors, power systems, biomedical devices, and software — many available for exclusive or non-exclusive commercial licensing at modest royalty rates. Most people have no idea they can license NASA innovations for commercial use.

This actor provides 4 MCP tools:

1. search_technologies — keyword + category + TRL filter search
2. get_technology — full details for a specific NASA tech ID
3. search_by_center — browse by NASA center (JPL, Glenn, Langley, etc.)
4. list_categories — enumerate all 26 technology categories

No API key required. All data is sourced from NASA's public Technology Transfer Portal.

---

Why License NASA Technology?

NASA is required by the Technology Transfer Act to make its inventions available for commercial licensing. Benefits of licensing NASA tech:

• Proven performance — technologies that survived the extreme demands of space applications
• Significant TRL — many are at TRL 6-9, far beyond basic research
• Non-exclusive licenses available at low cost for startups
• Government-funded R&D — the hard early-stage work is already done
• Partnership access — some licenses come with access to NASA researchers and facilities

NASA spinoffs have produced innovations in memory foam, scratch-resistant lenses, water filtration, LED lighting, insulin pumps, and hundreds of other commercial products.

---

MCP Tools

search_technologies

Search NASA's portfolio by keyword, category, TRL, and tech type.

Arguments:

Parameter	Type	Description
query	string	Keyword search. Example: "solar energy", "machine learning", "carbon fiber"
category	string	Category filter. Example: "Materials", "Propulsion", "Sensors"
trl_min	integer	Minimum TRL (1-9). Use 6 for near-production-ready tech
trl_max	integer	Maximum TRL (1-9).
tech_type	string	"patent", "software", or "spinoff"
limit	integer	Max results (default 20, max 100)

Example query:

{
  "name": "search_technologies",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "solar energy",
    "trl_min": 6,
    "tech_type": "patent",
    "limit": 10
  }
}

Example response record:

{
  "tech_id": "LEW-20234",
  "title": "High-Efficiency Solar Energy Harvesting Technology",
  "description": "Novel multi-junction photovoltaic architecture achieving 45% conversion efficiency under concentrated sunlight. Designed for space power systems but directly applicable to terrestrial concentrated solar applications...",
  "nasa_center": "Glenn Research Center",
  "category": "Power Generation and Storage",
  "patent_number": "US10,234,567",
  "trl": 7,
  "availability": "available",
  "license_type": "non-exclusive",
  "tech_type": "patent",
  "source": "nasa.gov/technology"
}

---

get_technology

Retrieve complete details for a specific NASA technology.

Arguments:

Parameter	Type	Description
tech_id	string	NASA case number. Example: "LEW-20234", "GSC-17820"

Example:

{
  "name": "get_technology",
  "arguments": {
    "tech_id": "LEW-20234"
  }
}

---

search_by_center

Browse technologies developed at a specific NASA research center.

Arguments:

Parameter	Type	Description
center	string	Center name or abbreviation (see table below)
category	string	Optional category filter
limit	integer	Max results (default 20)

Supported center names/aliases:

Abbreviation	Full Name	Specialty
JPL	Jet Propulsion Laboratory	Deep space, planetary science, robotics
Glenn / GRC	Glenn Research Center	Propulsion, power, communications
Langley / LaRC	Langley Research Center	Aeronautics, structures, materials
Ames	Ames Research Center	Aerospace computing, life sciences, entry systems
Goddard / GSFC	Goddard Space Flight Center	Earth science, astrophysics, instruments
Johnson / JSC	Johnson Space Center	Human spaceflight, life support, EVA
Kennedy / KSC	Kennedy Space Center	Launch systems, processing, ground operations
Marshall / MSFC	Marshall Space Flight Center	Propulsion, structures, manufacturing
Stennis / SSC	Stennis Space Center	Propulsion testing, Earth science
Armstrong / AFRC	Armstrong Flight Research Center	Flight research, advanced aircraft

---

list_categories

Returns all 26 NASA technology categories with descriptions.

{
  "name": "list_categories",
  "arguments": {}
}

Categories include: Aerospace, Algorithms and Software, Antennas and Apertures, Autonomous Systems, Biomedical and Life Sciences, Chemical/Biochemical Processing, Communications, Computer Systems, Controls and Guidance, Data Acquisition, Electronics and Electrical, Environment and Resource Management, Ground Systems, Human Health/Life Support, Information Technology, Instruments, Manufacturing, Materials and Coatings, Mechanical and Fluid Systems, Optics, Power Generation and Storage, Propulsion, Sensors, Structures and Mechanisms, Thermal Control, Waste Disposal and Recycling.

---

Output Schema

Field	Type	Description
tech_id	string	NASA case number (e.g., "LEW-20234")
title	string	Technology title
description	string	Description (first 500 characters)
nasa_center	string	Originating NASA research center
category	string	Technology category
patent_number	string	US patent number (if issued)
trl	integer	Technology Readiness Level (1-9, 0 if not specified)
availability	string	Licensing availability status
license_type	string	"exclusive", "non-exclusive", etc.
tech_type	string	"patent", "software", or "spinoff"
contact_email	string	NASA licensing contact email
source	string	Always "nasa.gov/technology"

On error, records include a _meta object:

{
  "_meta": {
    "error": "description of what failed",
    "fallback_tried": true,
    "suggestion": "manual workaround if available"
  }
}

---

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
query	string	""	Keyword search
category	string	""	Technology category filter
trl_min	integer	1	Minimum TRL
trl_max	integer	9	Maximum TRL
tech_type	string	"patent"	patent/software/spinoff
limit	integer	20	Max results (1–100)
serveMcp	boolean	false	Enable MCP server mode

---

Modes of Operation

Batch Mode (default)

Search NASA technologies with input parameters and push results to the Apify dataset. The actor exits when complete.

Best for: Technology landscape analysis, scheduled monitoring, integration with other pipelines.

MCP Server Mode (serveMcp: true)

Starts an HTTP server on port 4321 and runs indefinitely for real-time AI queries.

Best for: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue.dev, and other MCP-compatible clients.

Endpoints:

• GET http://<run-url>:4321/mcp/tools — list all 4 tools
• POST http://<run-url>:4321/mcp/call — invoke a tool
• GET http://<run-url>:4321/health — health check + center list

---

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Guide

NASA's TRL scale is the gold standard for technology maturity:

TRL	Meaning	Commercial Equivalent
1	Basic principles observed	Academic research
2	Technology concept formulated	Proof of concept research
3	Experimental proof of concept	Early prototype
4	Technology validated in lab	Lab-validated prototype
5	Technology validated in relevant environment	Pilot-tested
6	Technology demonstrated in relevant environment	Pre-production demo
7	System prototype demonstrated in operational environment	Beta product
8	System complete and qualified	Production-ready
9	Actual system proven in operational environment	Flight-proven / deployed

For commercial licensing, TRL 6+ technologies are typically closest to market readiness. Many NASA technologies at TRL 7-9 can be commercialized within 1-3 years.

---

Data Source

NASA Technology Transfer Portal

• URL: https://technology.nasa.gov
• API base: https://technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/
• Auth required: None
• Coverage: All NASA centers, all technology types
• Total portfolio: ~2,000+ patents, ~1,000+ software, hundreds of spinoffs

Endpoints used:

• technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/patent/search/ — patent keyword search
• technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/patent/list/ — patent listing (fallback)
• technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/software/search/ — software keyword search
• technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/software/list/ — software listing (fallback)
• technology.nasa.gov/api/1.0/spinoff/search/ — spinoff search

---

Example AI Prompts

Once connected via MCP:

• "Search NASA technologies for solar energy harvesting with TRL 6 or higher"
• "Find NASA software tools related to machine learning and simulation"
• "What technologies has JPL developed in the materials category?"
• "Show me all NASA propulsion patents available for licensing"
• "List all NASA technology categories"
• "Get full details for NASA technology LEW-20234"
• "Find NASA biomedical technologies from Johnson Space Center"
• "What water purification technologies has NASA developed?"

---

Famous NASA Spinoffs

Technologies that originated at NASA and are now commercial products:

Technology	Origin	Industry
Memory foam	Ames Research Center (1966)	Consumer goods, medical
Scratch-resistant lenses	Lewis Research Center	Eyewear
Cochlear implants	NASA speech processing	Medical devices
Infrared ear thermometers	JPL infrared sensor	Medical
LED lighting for plant growth	Marshall Space Flight Center	Agriculture, medical
Water filtration (iodine-based)	NASA Apollo program	Consumer, industrial
Shoe insoles (athletic)	NASA spacesuit boot tech	Consumer goods
Enriched baby formula (DHA/ARA)	NASA life sciences	Nutrition
Freeze-dried food	NASA Apollo	Food industry
Wireless headsets	NASA Mission Control	Telecommunications

---

Licensing Process

If you find a NASA technology you want to license:

1. Identify the technology — Get the NASA case number from this actor
2. Contact the center — Each technology has a licensing contact (email in record)
3. Request a license — NASA offers non-exclusive, exclusive, and field-of-use licenses
4. Negotiate terms — Royalty rates are typically 0.5%-5% of net sales
5. Sign the agreement — Standard Technology License Agreement (TLA)

For software, NASA's NOSA (NASA Open Source Agreement) allows open-source use in many cases.

---

Error Handling

The actor never crashes. All failure paths return structured _meta records:

{
  "_meta": {
    "error": "human-readable description",
    "fallback_tried": true,
    "suggestion": "visit https://technology.nasa.gov directly"
  }
}

Edge cases handled:

• Nonsense queries (e.g., "xyzxyz999notarealthing") — returns graceful "no results" message
• API timeout — returns fallback error with suggestion
• TRL filter removes all results — returns informative error with TRL range
• Unknown center name — returns error with list of known centers

---

Technical Details

• Language: Python 3.11
• Runtime: Apify Actor SDK v2
• HTTP client: httpx (async, 30s timeout)
• MCP server: Pure asyncio TCP, no external web frameworks
• Port: 4321 (MCP server mode)
• Response normalization: Handles multiple NASA API key-casing formats
• Center aliases: 10+ abbreviations resolved to full names

---

License

Data sourced from NASA Technology Transfer Portal, a US federal government public resource. Data is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 105). Actor code is proprietary.