Whether protecting crops from diseases and pests or sanitizing contaminated surfaces, the ability to spray protective chemicals over important resources is
Astronaut Kayla Barron looks at chile peppers growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the International Space Station. Determining the best ways to water plants in space resulted in the development of a new electrostatic spray nozzle, now licensed to industry. Credit: NASA key to several industries. Electrostatic Spraying Systems Inc. (ESS) of Watkinsville, Georgia, manufactures electrostatic sprayers and equipment that make this possible. By licensing NASA electrostatic technology, originally made to water plants in space, ESS's improved spray nozzles efficiently use basic laws of electricity to achieve complete coverage on targeted surfaces. ESS traces its origins to research done at the University of Georgia in the 1970s and '80s. An electrostatic sprayer works by inducing an electric charge onto atomized droplets. Much like an inflated balloon…