Image via Complex Original
Intro
Since its creation in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has pushed the boundaries of technology as far as they could go in order to further its exploration of the unknown. Fortunately for us, the a few of the fruits of that labor has trickled down to us regular folk in the form of consumer electronics and consumer-facing infrastructure. Some are obvious, while others you would have never guessed came from the smarted minds in the world. While there's a lot NASA can take credit for, we decided to look at the 10 coolest technologies to come out of our country's space agency.
Memory Foam
Memory Foam
Year: 1966
Originally developed to protect aircraft passengers in the case of a collision, memory foam has made its way into everything from mattresses to sneakers. The foam works by feeding gas into pressurized areas in order to match the press being pushed against it. It was first called "slow spring back foam", then "temper foam." The latter name was taken by a Swedish bedding company which created the Tempur-Pedic mattress.
Speedo LZR Swimsuit
Speedo LZR Swimsuit
Year: 2004
As you can imagine, getting a rocket ship to slip out of the Earth's gravitational pull is damn difficult. A major part of the operation comes down to aeronautics. Using wind tunnels to design air crafts that minimize viscous drag (the friction that occurs as you push through air), NASA is able to build rockets that can break free of our atmosphere. Seeing some similarities between the the way a rocket ship flies through the air and the way a swimming moves through water, SpeedoUSA tapped NASA to help it develop a swimsuit that would allow the wearer to more easily glide through the wet stuff. The final product was the LZR Racer swimsuit which uses a Hydro Form Compression System to tightly grip the body and reduces friction by 24%.
Enriched Baby Food
Enriched Baby Food
Year: 1980
If you've never had to buy baby food there's really no reason for you to know about Formulaid. Developed by Maryland-based Martek Biosciences Corporation in conjunction with NASA, Formulaid came to be after a search for a recycling agent that could work on NASA's long-term space missions. The result was a nutritional additive that contains two fatty acids which help with mental and visual development in infants. If you're an 80s baby, there's a good chance Formulaid helped you out.
Emergency Blanket
First Aid Blanket
Year: 1964
Crack open your First Aid kit and you should see a tightly packed square nestled somewhere behind the gauze. Dubbed an emergency blanket, these thin sheets are actually made from film substrate infused with aluminum vapor. They're modeled after a blanket developed by NASA to protect astronauts from the severe temperate changes in space. Here on Earth, the blankets help protect people from hypothermia.
Safety Grooving
Safety Grooving
Year: 1960s
This technology has more than likely saved your life if you ever flown in the rain. Or driven in California. Developed by NASA's Langley Research Center's Safety Groove program, safety grooves were made with the goal if reducing hydroplaning by aircrafts on runways. The grooves in the road help dissipate large amounts of water, allowing tires to have greater contact with the roads surface. It was so successful, the technology was adopted by 800 of 1,500 commercial airport runaways in the U.S. Some states like California have adopted safety grooves for its highways that experience high amounts of rain.
Portable Cordless Vacuum
Portable Cordless Vacuums
Year: 1979
For one of its Apollo missions, NASA needed a portable drill capable of extracting core samples from the Moon's surface. NASA called on Black & Decker to develop and build the tool. The program was such a success B&D decided to develop consumer products around the technology. Enter the Dustbuster. Thanks to its powerful motor and small size, it became the best-selling handheld vacuum of all time.
AstroGlide
Astroglide
Year: 1977
Who would have thought that one of the most well-known sexual aids in history was developed by a bunch of scientist at NASA? While working on a cooling system at Edwards Air Force Base, Daniel Wray and Erich Drafahl were tasked with developing a substance that was as good a lubricant as it was a moisturizer. What was first coined "Astro Heaven" was renamed Astroglide.
Nike AIR
Nike Air
Year: 1979
While working at NASA, an aeronautic engineer named Frank Ruddy took a technology called "blow rubber molding", which was used to create sturdy lightweight helmets, and applied the process to sneakers. Ruddy thought that if you were to hollow-out the sole of a sneaker and put in its place a pad of interconnected gas cells, it would change the game. He was right. Instead of going at it alone, Ruddy pitched a couple sneaker companies. Phil Knight and Nike signed on and Nike AIR was born.
Solar Energy
Solar Panels
Year: 1987
Solar energy has been used to power everything from houses to luxury cars (what up, Fisker?!). But it all started over 20 years ago when the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology Alliance needed to find an energy source that wouldn't add weight to the unmanned flying drone it hoped to develop. To do so, NASA partnered with a company called SunPower which developed silicon-based cells that were able to collect sun rays and turn it into usable energy.
Water Purification
Water Purification
Year: 1979
According to Robyn Carrasquillo, an engineer with NASA's Environmental Control and Life Support System program at the Marshall Space FLght Center in Hunsville, Ala., an astronaut needs three gallons of water every day. To fill that need NASA has been working for years on systems that purify liquids already on board the shuttles and stations like sweat, urine, and other wastewaters into drinkable water. The technology has been shared with various companies around the world to help nations with dire water problems. In 2006, Carrasquillo and her team assisted Concern For Kids, a non-profit based in Lawrenceville, Ga., with installing a water purification system in a remote village in northern Iraq called Kendala.