A small piece of space-suit hardware is putting Arvada manufacturing in a big spotlight.

Barber-Nichols, based in Arvada, CO, is a finalist in the Coolest Thing Made in Colorado competition for its oxygen ventilation loop fan.

The recognition places the company among 10 contenders and shows just how far locally made engineering can reach.

This is no gadget designed to catch a shopper’s eye.

The fan is a working part of a next-generation space suit, designed to move oxygen across an astronaut’s faceplate.

That airflow helps deliver breathable oxygen while clearing exhaled carbon dioxide from the helmet, an essential task in an unforgiving environment.

Reliable ventilation also helps make longer spacewalks possible, giving astronauts more time to work outside a spacecraft.

Barber-Nichols engineers began developing an early version for NASA in 2019 as part of work on updated suits for orbital and lunar missions.

The company has since worked with Axiom Space on equipment intended for a new generation of astronauts.

The broader suit effort has included plans for work connected to the International Space Station and future moon exploration.

For neighbors who know Arvada for its everyday bustle rather than aerospace hardware, the finalist nod offers another picture of local industry.

A component developed here could one day help people work safely far above Earth.

It is a reminder that Colorado manufacturing reaches well beyond the products residents see or use each day.

The statewide competition, organized by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, highlights innovations from businesses across many industries.

A winner will be announced at a banquet, while a separate public vote will determine a People’s Choice winner.

For the engineers behind the fan, the recognition marks years of detailed work on a problem where every breath matters.

For Arvada, it is a chance to celebrate a hometown contribution to the future of space travel.