Water Purification
NASA, perfect as they might've been, had an issue. They're astronauts failed to live without water! That's why water purification is one of the greatest inventions of the era, as NASA needed to make sure that the water their figureheads drank was safe.
In order to ensure this, the glasses at NASA found a way to put activated pieces of charcoal into the water, which kills bacteria and other harmful pathogens that may be found in the contents. Many companies saw opportunity in this, and made multiple refinements made to the system in order for it to be commercially sold (Brita and Aquasana to name a few). Before water purification, there were a lot more deaths and illnesses that could affect the population in mass. It was a huge leap in the medical industry, and one of the many turning points NASA set into motion.
In order to ensure this, the glasses at NASA found a way to put activated pieces of charcoal into the water, which kills bacteria and other harmful pathogens that may be found in the contents. Many companies saw opportunity in this, and made multiple refinements made to the system in order for it to be commercially sold (Brita and Aquasana to name a few). Before water purification, there were a lot more deaths and illnesses that could affect the population in mass. It was a huge leap in the medical industry, and one of the many turning points NASA set into motion.
Warp-10
NASA did not create a faster than light propulsion system. Warp-10 was originally developed to help grow plants on the space station and in space shuttles. Warp-10 is now used in daily life for purposes of medical use. The LED chips inside the product are now used in a portable medical device which gives patients temporary relief of minor muscle or joint pain.
This was a turning point as WARP-10 helped spurt the development of processing chips of all kinds, especially in the medical department. Before this, there were not very many electrical engineers working with developing LED chips that are now so integral in the everyday life (our mobile devices).
This was a turning point as WARP-10 helped spurt the development of processing chips of all kinds, especially in the medical department. Before this, there were not very many electrical engineers working with developing LED chips that are now so integral in the everyday life (our mobile devices).
Emulsified Zero-valent Iron
As testing proceeded for NASA, they started realizing one thing. The numerous engine, fuel, and emissions testing were showing that dangerous chemicals were being released into the environment from the rockets and their components. NASA, being a huge organization, couldn't afford the public to down-grade their work through the worry that the environment would be damaged. With that looming concern in mind, NASA worked on inventing a way to reduce the effect of these chemicals on the environment. And thus, Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron was born. In short, this special mixture of compounds was a way to reduce the effect of very harmful chemicals that were being released into the environment and ensure that they don't do any damage to the habitat, animals, or humans.
Scratch Resistent Lenses
Glasses were made from glass until 1972 when the food and drug administration began. They required making glasses with plastic because it is cheaper and more durable. NASA needed a special coating because there are air and dirt particles in space which can damage the astronaut’s visor. NASA hired a sunglass manufacturer which created a special coating which made its sunglasses 10 times more scratch-resistant.
MYlar
Mylar helped the protect the spacecraft from the violent temperatures of the sun. Mylar is composed of aluminum-coated plastic that reflects the heat from the sun. Mylar is on every satellite telescope, and spacecraft that goes into space. This technology is also used in daily life for purposes like home insulation.
This was not only a useful piece of technology, but also something that was a turning point in history. It would turn out to be extremely versatile for chemists, who used it for it's chemical stability properties. This helped lead a new era into chemistry. Successful chemist Ada Yonath was a big fan of the material, and used it to create several of her breakthrough discoveries.
This was not only a useful piece of technology, but also something that was a turning point in history. It would turn out to be extremely versatile for chemists, who used it for it's chemical stability properties. This helped lead a new era into chemistry. Successful chemist Ada Yonath was a big fan of the material, and used it to create several of her breakthrough discoveries.
A LONG DISTANCE COMMUNICATIOn network
As it turns out, the US can only see the moon for half of every day, in a period called "nighttime". During the other 12 hours, the radio waves that NASA used to communicate were weak or non-existent. They needed ears on their billion dollar baby at all times, so to remedy the issue the organization set up stations across the world that were connected to the one in the US, ensuring constant contact. Little did they know the basic infrastructure they laid down would lead to the advance of the telephone and beginning of the internet.
Memory Foam
Making it to the moon wasn't the only goal of our beloved NASA. They wanted the astronauts to make it to the moon in comfort, through the development of memory foam. Landings were quite rough, and even when shrunk down to a 10th of it's former size, the foam always came back to retain it's original shape. It also has a property that allows it to evenly distribute weight from items across the surface, making it the perfect material to make high quality beds (Tempurpedic).
SHOE INSOLES
NASA made sure that the shoes of Neil Armstrong weren't normal. They had to ventilate the foot and put a spring in his step. So, among other tweaks, the engineers implemented a memory-foam like pad to help return energy that goes from you to the ground back into your feet. As it turns out, the side effect of this creation was the beginnings of shoe insoles using the same principles that allow us to walk around in supreme comfort.
Before this, there was very little change in the shoe industry since shoes became mainstream. Once the idea of comfort through the shoe insoles were introduced, the market boomed and hundreds of startups were launched to create hundreds of new takes on an old idea - through insoles. A name you might recognize would be Sketchers.
Before this, there was very little change in the shoe industry since shoes became mainstream. Once the idea of comfort through the shoe insoles were introduced, the market boomed and hundreds of startups were launched to create hundreds of new takes on an old idea - through insoles. A name you might recognize would be Sketchers.
Firefighting Equipment
There were many things that NASA influenced int he world of firefighting. Everything from protective jackets, saftey coatings, fire attire, breathing systems, invisible flame imaging, and firefighters' radios. Many of these inventions were spinoffs that bounced off of testing rocket engines, re-entry procedures, and combustion experiments. The major problem, both for rocket experimentationand re-entry procedures were that astronauts were going to be exposed to extreme levels of heat, or thermal radiation. To solve this NASA devised a council that will help invent and develop technologies that will help shield both the enineers testing and the astronauts inisde. Later, during the mid-80's, this technology was then soon brought into the world of firefighting as the firefighters must tackle similar situations too.
Anti-Icing Systems
Many NASA spin offs originate from safety measures taken during the building of the Apollo space crafts. For example, the firefighting equipment that we use today first took shape as flame/heat-resistant materials that were used to prevent the capsules from burning up in re-entry. Another one is Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron, something that was used to protect the environment, that was later used by the public. Anti-icing systems are no different. They are used in a variety of different situations, but especially in airplanes. During the engineering of the Apollo Space Crafts, scientists and engineers needed to come up with new ways of tackling the problem of temperature on the moon. The problem was that the moon was so cold, any bit of the slightest moisture would freeze up and create a huge problem for the space craft. To beat this, NASA came up with different agents that, when coated and used, would protect the space craft from freezing up. Nowadays, this technology is used to prevent and protect airplanes from gaining dangerous ice and damaging them.
Summary
The time period these revolutionary objects and materials were developed by NASA is what we feel is one of the greatest turning points for mankind. In it, the foundations were laid for world-changing inventions like the internet, now necessities such as shoe insoles, and literal life savers in water purification. But what really made that time special was how NASA managed to culminate these brand new technologies to accomplish one of the greatest achievements in the history of the human race, a trip to the moon. It showed that any goal could be reached and wrote the book on how to complete the impossible: innovate.