It’s a major accomplishment for a company from the Ottawa Valley.
Bubble Technologies Industries, located in Chalk River, Ontario, has been inducted into the US Space Technology Hall of Fame.
Vice President Lianne Ing says the bubble detectors they created have been used to detect radiation on space missions and on earth for over 30-years.
She says the bubble detector device looks like a test tube with a clear gel and when it’s exposed to radiation small bubbles form and provide measurements.
Ing says the company is currently pursuing new space projects to develop innovative technologies to search for water on the Moon and to protect astronauts from radiation during deep space missions.
In addition to space missions, thousands of bubble detectors have been used on earth to monitor radiation in hospitals, nuclear power plants, manufacturing facilities, and nuclear-powered submarines.
Bubble detectors were also used to protect emergency responders after the nuclear accidents in 1986 at the Chernobyl site in Ukraine and in 2011 at the Fukushima site in Japan.
The bubble detector was invented in the early 1980s by Dr. Harry Ing, who says it’s a real honour to be recognized for the impact they’ve had after so many years in this field.
Dr. Martin Smith, the head of research, added Bubble Technologies could not have sustained this long-running presence in space without the key support from the Canadian Space Agency and other government partners.
Dr. Ing and Dr. Smith will attend the induction ceremony into the US Space Technology Hall of Fame in April.
Bubble Technology Industries radiation detection technology has flown on over two dozen space missions and has been used to screen for nuclear threats at high-profile events, including multiple Presidential inaugurations, Papal visits, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Series of Baseball, NASCAR events, G8/G20 Summits, and many other critical venues around the world.
The company in Chalk River has 50 employees with over 400 customers in 25 countries.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)