Dreams. Inspiration. Aspiration. National pride. Excitement. Awe. Humanity’s first reusable spacecraft. Biodegradable lubricants. Polyamide resin. Memory Foam. Cordless Tools. Heat-activated automotive repair patches. Scratch-resistant lens. Software for land surface modeling. Engineers. Scientists. 100-plus new companies. Thousands of public and private sector jobs.
Such is NASA’s legacy.
From the time President Eisenhower signed the Space Act, government and private sector have recognized the importance of moving the innovative technologies invented and developed to explore space into applications on Earth.
Spinoff, first published in 1976, has written about more than 1,700 of the most prominent NASA technologies and the more than 100 new companies that have been founded based on innovation that came “out of space.”
NASA technologies have benefited U.S. industry, improved quality of life, and created jobs. Consider these:
- NASA and Dr. Michael DeBakey developed a tiny heart pump from fuel pump technology.
- The technology for a hand-held cutter for rescue squads to cut victims out of wrecked vehicles came from explosive charges used to separate the shuttle from the boosters.
- An infrared camera that helps firefighters locate hot spots was first used to observe the flames emitted from the shuttle.
- Home insulation.
- Prosthesis material that is light virtually indestructible and easy to ship and store came from space shuttle materials technology.
- High technology image processing software that records details in space has multiple applications in manufacturing and health.
- The same rocket fuel that propels the shuttle saves lives by destroying land mines.
Last week’s final space shuttle mission was historic and creates an opportunity for us all to reflect on how NASA has served as a catalyst for innovation for half a century.
And NASA’s innovation isn’t limited to science.
Our space race started as a competitive reaction to the former Soviet Union. Now the space shuttle laboratory is a cooperative effort between 15 international partners and five space agencies, including Russia. More than 400 experiments have been conducted in the shuttle’s lab. On July 4th, the observatory logged its one millionth scientific observation during a search for water 1,000 light-years away.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says that the U.S. will continue sending astronauts into space — partnering now with the Russian space program. In fact, three U.S. astronauts are scheduled to leave in September for a six-month tour.
That means we can also add improvement in international scientific relations to NASA’s legacy list.