Chrysler, NASA Partner on Advanced Technologies

Chrysler and NASA have agreed to collaborate in the development of new technologies which can lead to both more advanced cars and rockets.

The three-year deal will see the U.S. automaker and space agency develop and share technologies in composite materials, wireless technology and battery systems.

This is a great opportunity to share knowledge and data in areas where both Chrysler Group and NASA have a vested interest, said Scott Kunselman, Chrysler senior vice president in charge of engineering.

Batteries have become a focal point of interest to the auto industry, with so much attention going toward development of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Recently, another U.S. automaker struck a similar deal, with Ford forming a technology partnership with the United Space Alliance, a lead contractor for the space shuttle.

Chrysler has a history of collaboration with NASA. In 1961, Chrysler built Redstone rockets for the Mercury Project, which put the first American in space. It also built Saturn rockets and boosters to send the first two Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit.

The investment in NASA technologies has led to hundreds of applications here on Earth for several decades now, and this collaboration with Chrysler promises to continue that tradition, Mike Coats, director of NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement.