SPACEHAB, Inc. (NASD: SPAB) announced that they have received a “1st Detect” receipt for their new in-house developed Miniature Spectrometer (MMS) technology from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as a result of the MMS technology going through a formal Developmental Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) Designation.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security instituted the designation to enhance the development of “promising anti-terrorism technologies” by providing legal liability protections under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002, a.k.a. SAFETY Act. The designation letter was received April 10, 2008, and stated that “SPACEHAB, Inc.’s Miniature Mass Spectrometer is such a technology.”

The new technology was developed through the company’s subsidiary, SPACETECH. The MMS technology is a chemical analyzer capable of detecting residues and vapors from explosives, chemical warfare agents, and toxic chemicals. Using ion-trap mass spectrometry, the MMS samples ambient air and measures the processed chemicals. The new technology will be introduced at the 56th Annual Conference American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference in Denver, Colorado, June 2-5, 2008.

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