Blacksburg-based Wessex Inc. realizes that space-age material developed by NASA could become a star commercial product right here on Earth.

The new material, Protective Ceramic Coating — or PCC — will be used on the next generation of spaceships, the successors to the space shuttle. The material can withstand temperatures from 250 degrees to 3,000 degrees without damage and repels heat from the surface that it covers. It will be used to keep space vehicles from burning up during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, says Wessex President John Olver.

"An aircraft would come in from orbit at about [minus] 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When it hits the atmosphere, it heats the bottom of the vehicle to positive 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. [PCC] protects the tile and it absorbs the heat, putting it back out into space," he explains.

Wessex, which helps researchers and inventors commercialize and produce ideas and patents, has secured exclusive licensing from NASA to market the paper-thin protective coating.

The material, which dries to the thickness of a heavy-duty garbage bag, can be applied by brush or spray gun. So far Wessex has kept its focus mainly on ceramics, which Olver notes is a $35 billion industry. That doesn’t mean Wessex won’t get involved with other products, specifically building materials and structures. Wessex potentially sees using PCC in homes, cars and airplanes, as well as to coat materials that are heat-conducive, such as ceramics, wood, steel, plastics and fiberglass.

Wessex’s work with PCC hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company has received calls from race car drivers wanting to use PCC to cool their engines and to keep the inside of the car from getting too hot. On top of that, NASA has nominated Wessex for a technology commercialization award.