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On the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, President Obama observed that the remarkable accomplishment "inspired an entire generation of scientists and engineers that ended up really sparking the innovation, the drive, the entrepreneurship, the creativity back here on Earth." The President went on to note that "it's very important for us to constantly remember that NASA was not only about feeding our curiosity, that sense of wonder, but also had extraordinary practical applications." In an earlier speech to the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama again lauded NASA's practical benefits. "That Apollo program produced technologies that have improved kidney dialysis and water purification systems; sensors to test for hazardous gasses; energy-saving building materials; fire-resistant fabrics used by firefighters and soldiers. More broadly, the enormous investment in that era-in science and technology, in education and research funding-produced a great outpouring of curiosity and creativity, the benefits of which have been incalculable." The President was referring to the myriad spinoffs that have come out of the Nation's investment in NASA's aerospace research, benefits that continue today just as NASA's missions continue to shape our world. Perhaps no organization has done more to ingrain these investments in our culture than NASA. For 51 years, the Agency's exploration and research efforts across a wide range of space-related endeavors have benefited people here on Earth. The resulting technologies have provided dramatic new advances in the quality of our lives that have touched not only Americans but also people around the globe. This edition of NASA's annual Spinoff publication is designed to highlight the Agency's recent work to "research, develop, verify and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies." Some of the more noteworthy NASA-derived technologies included in Spinoff 2009 are: * A star-mapping algorithm developed f