Take a look around, and almost everywhere you'll see things that were derived from NASA technology. As we meet the challenges of space exploration—developing safer ways to orbit the Earth, travel to the moon and visit Mars—many of our technologies are being adapted for use by consumers like you.
Now we have more exciting plans underway. Our Vision for Space Exploration is taking us back to the moon. We're going to lay the groundwork for extended human presence on the moon—possibly establishing a laboratory and base to launch voyages to Mars and beyond. This puts us that much closer to planets in our own solar system, allowing us to push farther into the universe.
And everyone on Earth will benefit. Because along the way, more new technologies are sure to come that will improve life for us all.
You might not fly an aircraft, but your car may have much of the same high-flying technology. The computer programs, mechanical systems and strong, lightweight materials NASA uses to design parts of rockets and planes are now used to design and build better automobiles. From chassis to brakes, airbags to tires, fuels to lubricants, our technologies are also making cars safer, better-performing and friendlier to the environment.
Satellites make it possible to place cell phone calls, or watch the five-day weather forecast on cable TV. Many weather and communications satellites were originally launched by NASA for American experiments in space; many in orbit today are still based on our prototypes, and link weather and climate research and emergency data as well as telephone, television, radio and internet communications around the world.
Open farmland filled with healthy crops is a beautiful sight, especially from space. NASA weather satellites are keeping an eye on the two most important aspects of growing food—climate and soil conditions. All over the world, NASA’s sensing devices, aerial photography and data are used to forecast weather and climate changes, to monitor crops and growth, and to enable us to help keep more and better food on our tables.
Many medical marvels today began with NASA’s concern for the health of astronauts in space. The heart monitors, digital CAT scan images and infrared thermometers you see in hospitals all have their uses—and beginnings—in space research.
Thanks to our technologies, handicapped patients benefit from NASA-inspired, high-tech, voice-controlled robotic wheelchairs and more comfortable prosthetics. Cardiac patients receive better artificial hearts and kidney patients get better dialysis because of precision pumps and filters designed with NASA scientists. Breast cancer detection biopsies have become easier with techniques first developed for the Hubble Space Telescope program. And some light-emitting diodes (LEDs), so common in everything from clock readouts to giant TV screens, are now helping to relieve the side-effects of chemo and radiation treatments.
NASA has created technologies that have lead to improvements in LASIK surgery. Which means not only can you see NASA technology everywhere, you might be using NASA technology to see it better!Do you have a solar water heater? A wireless alarm system? How about a new foam pillow or mattress? You might be more at home with NASA than you think.
We’ve helped make homes more comfortable, efficient—even safer—with our research. NASA-based circuits and microprocessors monitor home security. Our research into solar heating has led to inventions that keep swimming pool water warm by collecting and transforming the sun’s energy. Reflective insulation keeps heat out and attics cooler. Water is purer and the air in your house is cleaner when run through special filters and purification systems originated by NASA.
Your vacuum works better because manufacturers used NASA’s models and expertise to make use of airflow dynamics. Your cordless power tools were inspired by portable drills developed for astronauts. And, with our technology, you can now enjoy the convenience of a refrigerator/wall oven, programmable via the internet, that you can program to refrigerate cold foods, then cook a meal on your way home from work!Safer travel in space is also leading to safer conditions on Earth. Our Space Shuttle experiments have led to better detection of airborne killers like anthrax. Rocket fuel is used to neutralize land mines in the field. Law enforcement relies on security cameras and NASA video enhancement technology to improve their recorded images.
Firefighters have especially benefited from NASA. With satellites and infrared scanners, wildfires can be tracked faster and “hot spots” found sooner. When smoke makes it hard to see, handheld fire imagers can lead firefighters to, or away from, dangerous areas. Shuttle-type insulation is used to make safer fire suits and face masks, and radio and breathing systems now provide better visibility, communication, and air depletion warnings.
It should come as no surprise that significant enhancements to air travel have come from NASA’s aeronautics research. Our collision avoidance systems, anti-icing devices and special runway designs help prevent accidents. Our research created tests for commercial airline pilots that help to measure stress. Passengers are safer than ever, with better computer optics for high-speed ticket processing; weather satellite storm predictions; engine noise and emission reduction; sophisticated cabin pressure monitors, and total-aircraft parachute systems.
Whatever NASA learns in space, anyone can learn on Earth. School textbooks and science laboratory manuals are filled with contributions from NASA. Even if you aren’t a student or scientist, you can take advantage of information from NASA field centers.
The coolest sports and gaming gear are space-age technology. Ever since virtual reality made the leap from science to entertainment, NASA research has been at the top of the wave. Some joysticks are based on our motors and microprocessors. Even some guitars and speaker systems were designed with NASTRAN software.
From shock-absorbing athletic shoes to radiation-blocking sunglasses, often what you wear was developed for NASA pilots. And you’ll find our technology—including new materials like foam, liquid metal, and metallic glass—in everything from protective padding and tennis rackets to golf balls and clubs, as well as the sharpening tools that keep competitive skaters slicing through the ice.
NASA manufacturing techniques, based on research and software from Shuttle experiments and our space life support program, have found their way into factories around the world. Power plants are now designed to run more efficiently, with better built-in safety systems. Lubricants designed for air and spacecraft make machinery run smoothly at high temperatures. Emissions from smokestacks are monitored with lasers. Lithium polymer batteries—used for power on long-term flights—now deliver greater performance, last longer and cost less than standard batteries. And workers are better protected from high temperatures by protective “cool suits” that eliminate body heat. Better designs help avoid catastrophes. Technology now used by NASA in space exploration may eventually improve future mining robots.
Our great oceans are among the most powerful forces on Earth. Often dangerous, they can also be vulnerable to their own environmental disasters. With NASA satellites we can watch our vast water resources from above, helping to keep mariners and shoreline dwellers safe and oceans clean. Flooding can be more effectively seen and tracked from space, and, where water meets land, dams can be more accurately tested for strength and corrosion with tests developed by NASA. Today, search and rescue at sea is far more successful using our space-based beacon locators.
Just as important, we’re helping protect our seas by measuring their winds, temperatures and chlorophyll content. The activated carbon we developed to insulate rocket engines is used for safer sewage treatment. Even the gas analysis technology we created for NASA spacecraft helps make water pollution easier to detect.
Next time you visit a grocery store, look for NASA in the aisles. Since we’re experts at growing and preserving plants effectively, what we’ve learned is used today to prolong the shelf life of many flowers, fruits and vegetables you buy. We help keep food safer too, with advances in product packaging and freeze-drying that began with creating meals for astronauts on the Apollo missions. Space programs were also responsible for HACCP—today’s national food safety system used by the FDA and USDA. So, while your cashier is ringing up your high-protein soybean products or enriched baby food, think of NASA. With our next-generation bar code scanners, we’re helping stores to track their inventory, keep your favorite items in stock, and enabling you to checkout faster.