Case Study: NASA achieves a breakthrough in Kevlar durability testing with Wazoku

NASA - Customer Case Study

NASA, researching inflatable structures for long‑duration space habitation, faced a three‑year roadblock in testing the durability of Kevlar webbing. Existing test methods didn’t cover all scenarios—notably failing at high temperatures—and competing priorities left the research team without the time or resources to solve the problem internally.

NASA turned to open innovation via InnoCentive, offering a $20,000 prize that was shared among two U.S. winners and a Serbian contributor, including an outsider from a medical college whose hands‑on testing approach proved decisive. The crowd produced at least two quick, simple, and easy‑to‑test solutions, ending the three‑year impasse and saving the overstretched team valuable time.

NASA

Tom Jones

Deputy Project Manager, Research Lunar Surface Systems